Coming Soon!

A new ensemble management system is in the works. Watch this space for updates!

Work in Progress

Please be aware that the Chanter Tuning tool is currently under development. Its accuracy is not yet guaranteed and is subject to change. Thank you for your understanding!

How to Use the Tone Check Tool

The Goal: This exercise trains your ear to identify and correct sharp (higher) and flat (lower) notes by simulating the real-world tuning process.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Start a New Test: Press the Randomise button. This will generate a "Reference Chanter" tone and set "Your Chanter" to a slightly different, random pitch. Both tones will start playing automatically.
2. Listen and Adjust: This is the core of the exercise.
   • Listen for the "beating" or "wavering" sound caused by the two notes being slightly out of tune. The faster the beat, the further apart the pitches are.
   • Use the + and - buttons to manually adjust the pitch of "Your Chanter". The goal is to make the beating sound as slow as possible.
   • This process mimics how you would physically adjust an instrument to find the correct pitch.
3. Identify the Problem: Once you've slowed the beating as much as you can, think about what you had to do to get there:
   
   If you had to press + to raise the pitch and slow the beating, your original note was flat.
   
   If you had to press - to lower the pitch, your original note was sharp.
4. Make Your Choice: Based on your discovery, click either the "I'm Flat" or "I'm Sharp" button to submit your answer.
5. Check Your Result: The buttons will turn green for a correct answer or red for an incorrect one, and your score will update.
6. Repeat! Press Randomise to try again with a new set of notes.

Understanding the Settings:

• Random Variation / Fine Tuning:
  • Random Variation (Easier): The initial pitch difference is larger and easier to hear.
  • Fine Tuning (Harder): The initial pitch difference is very small, requiring more careful listening.
• Whole Chanter / Top Hand: This setting changes the pitch range of the notes used in the test. "Top Hand" uses only the higher notes of the chanter.

How to Use the Drone Tuning Tool

The Goal: Tune a full set of three drones (one bass, two tenors) perfectly in tune with a reference chanter note. To help you isolate sounds, you can play the chanter and drones all together or play each drone individually.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Start a New Test: Press the Randomise button. This creates a new tuning problem where all three drones are out of tune with the chanter. All instruments will begin playing automatically.
2. Select a Drone: Use the "Bass", "Tenor #1", and "Tenor #2" buttons to select which drone you want to adjust.
3. Tune the Drone: Use the main slider or the + and - buttons to change the pitch of the selected drone. Listen carefully for the "beating" sound between the drone and the chanter to slow down and disappear, resulting in a smooth, unified sound.
4. Repeat for All Drones: Select and tune the other two drones one by one until all three sound perfectly in tune with the chanter.
5. Submit Your Answer: When you believe all drones are correctly tuned, press the Submit button.
6. Check Your Result: The button will show your score (e.g., 3/3 for perfect). The color will indicate how well you did. Press Randomise to start a new test.

Understanding the Settings:

• Difficulty (Easy / Medium / Hard): This changes how precise your tuning needs to be. "Hard" requires a much smaller margin of error to be considered correct.
• Indicators On / Off: This button toggles the visibility of the color-coded frequency displays for each drone. Turning them on provides a visual hint (green for correct, orange for close, red for far) to help you train.

How to Use the Chanter Tuning Tool

The Goal: Tune all nine notes of a chanter scale against a perfectly tuned set of drones. This is the ultimate test of your tuning ability.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Start a New Test: Press Randomise Notes. This generates a new chanter where all nine notes are randomly out of tune.
2. Start Listening: Press Play Instrument to hear the drones and the currently selected chanter note.
3. Select a Note: Use the note carousel at the top (you can click, drag, or use the < and > arrows) to choose which of the nine chanter notes you want to tune.
4. Adjust the Pitch: Click and drag the large Tuning Dial to change the pitch of the selected note. Listen for the beating sound to disappear, indicating the note is in tune with the drones.
5. Tune the Entire Scale: Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all nine notes on the chanter, from Low G to High A.
6. Submit Your Chanter: Once you are confident that all nine notes are perfectly in tune, press the Submit button to check your work.

Understanding the Settings:

• Difficulty (Easy / Medium / Hard): Determines the acceptable pitch range for a note to be marked as correct.
• Hide / Show Indicators: Toggles the color-coding on the note cards in the carousel, giving you a visual clue as to how close each note is to being in tune.