Oh no ... when I started to tune instruments we had ...guessss ...yup even in prehistoric times before the Video and Star Wars and Bruce (the mega thwapper) Springstein before Bob Dylan an a whole bunch of now famous folkies there were devices used to tune. A tuning Fork usually 'A' since this is the most difficult to set. Now it is both good and bad thing that chords or scales can be exactly in tune since the listener hears a true harmonic image BUT if the 'key' be changed the notes are not in tune. How it used be done. Set up one exact pitch then use Harmonics to get the next and so on. Occassionaly an additional tuning fork may be required where the user has a 'deaf' spot in their hearing range. I used be weak on 'C'. (Actually I had no tuning fork to begin but used an old piano and later the sound of a Vacuum Cleaner - errr I found it was easier since this sound did not decay like a string. I know you are thinking 'wait a mo you can't tune to a Vacuum Cleaner?? Well I did. ) General comments about tuning and music. Since musical sounds are 'waves' and tunes are made of both notes (little bundles of waves) and rhythm (louder or longer little bundles of waves), it is imperative that a player have some native ability to hear and evaluate these. So if the chord of 'C' sounds like a chainsaw to you probably you should be a lumberjack. Without providing some remote reader with the entire abstract for a thesis I assert if ya can't tune THEN you can't rhythm either- soooo ya will always be playing 'through' yer head (tuners an metronomes -counting etc) and not with yer ears. Here are some tips for the tone deaf. Can you recall the sound of your Fridge? Even if you are in the yard try to imagine that sound :) Now tune some thing to that image. Here you can put that Digital Lying Tuner to some good use. Check to see which note you've tuned :) Tips for people who have problems with Rhythm. Make a sound and WAIT then repeat the process. NOTE After a lifetime of teaching I must say this last lesson is the hardest to learn. In these long times I also observed people who most want to play ON STAGE listen the least(they will talk, fidget and do not pay attention) : and people who listen most are the hardest to get to play or perform. Some folk learn to play in order to get that attention others just 'play' and cannot ever recall learning. Confused? Ask yourself this what does '*P*L*A*Y' mean. For those who need 'attention' - have you ever thought about trying yer hand at acting, juggling, magic, politics TV Radio??? What I am saying is very unpopular - some folk have it when born. It is an attitude - it is a gift - it is a fact because it is true. MUSIC. Others run around the edges for ever but need a crutch - I have no problems with that EXCEPT where I pay $20 to go to a show and have to listen to a Martin Guitar being walloped which IS OUT OF TUNE and the player knows only one 'kind' of music - these days usually bluegrass. Far as I know there IS only one kind of music. There never were any 'other' kinds except in the heads of people who choose to IGNORE certain sounds in their world. Are we getting close to some truths here? People who cannot/willnot listen - Just wondering.