Do you smell the blood of Christians?

Actually a fork-shaped divining rod would be preferable. Dowsing for musicality. If it doesn't help at least you have something to drink after practice.

2 March 2013
Tuning piano

My Grotrian Steinweg piano carries 3 strings per keynote ... In time some of the strings need tuning ... had any of you chaps tried twanging the strings on an edgy note ... often it just takes a slight tweak of one of the strings to match the other two good strings.

Just an observation which might be of interest.

PS This comment will not improve the OP's playing
but it might stop the dog from howling.

Yeah, let's stop this wolf from howling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_tone

Be careful though. Tweaking a string into tune is easy. But doing it so it STAYS in tune isn't. And too much inexpert manipulation of a tuning pin can loosen it.

I have a tuning fork on the table near my piano. Someone gave it to me a while back. I think it's kind of cool. Every once in a while I pick it up and tap it on the table, which is kind of fun to do. I haven't really used it for much else.

If you have a smartphone (Android or iPhone), you can get "tuner" apps that will do far more good than any tuning fork.

For the Android phones, "DA Tuner" is very good.

You can sing into it, and it'll tell you what pitch you're singing. You can also use it to play notes back to you.

"Perfect Piano" is another worthwhile app.

And for ear training (which you might need), "Perfect Ear" is a good bet.

. Charles

PS -- I recently got my A-440 tuning fork out of the drawer. It's easier than starting up the phone app, if _all_ I want to do is try and match its pitch with my voice.

I now use my tuning fork to stop papers from flying about atop my upright piano ... if I'm smart I do this
before opening the sliding doors on both sides of my
living room.

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" ...
where "hurricanes hardly ever 'appen" (oops)

I can't and I do. So I don't think the two are necessarily related.

You're a clever guy.

Buying a tuning fork will make you a better pianist the same way that buying a new fork will make you better at eating. Unless, it's tunerfish.

Tuning fork not only makes your piano sound better, it also helps keep your piano in good condition so that it may be playable for many years to come.

Glib, but inaccurate! A fork is a tool for eating. A tuning fork is not a tool for piano playing.

lol