Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a tuning device and method for musical instruments and an amplifier, in particular, that have a simple configuration and can be used to tune the pitch of the musical instruments.
For some time conventional tuners for musical instruments have been known that detect the pitch (frequency) of the vibration of a string belonging to a stringed instrument such as a guitar and display the deviation between the detected pitch and a standard pitch. These kinds of tuners are known to have a manual format in which the user designates the standard pitch, which is the pitch that it is desired to match. The difference between the pitch from the vibration of the string and the standard pitch is then displayed. These kinds of tuners are also known to have an auto format (also known as a chromatic format) in which, without the user designating a pitch to be matched, the tuner displays the letter notation for the detected pitch so the user can judge the fluctuation of the pitch that is to be matched by means of the display.
However, with a manual format tuner such as the one described in Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2004-53779, the user must set a standard pitch for each string, which can make tuning troublesome. In addition, an auto format tuner such as the one described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3090987 needs to provide a display device that displays the letter notation or the string number corresponding to the detected pitch. The tuner requires space for the installation of these display devices.