Ridgid Propress Tool Calibration Plan. Please visit our sponsors: Andrew's Tips: Chris Hamilton on using the Korg CA-20 Tuner Christopher Hamilton is a Professional Grade piper, a EUSPBA adjudicator, instructor, moderator at the BobDunsire.com forums. Below, Chris explains how to use the Korg CA-20 Chromatic Tuner to tune bagpipes. Korg CA-20 • Instructions for Pipe Band Tuning by Christopher Hamilton The Korg CA-20 Chromatic Tuner The Korg CA-20 tuner, while not designed for bagpipes, can be used for tuning pipe band drones and 'Low A's quite effectively. Here is the method that I've developed over the past few years.

Select one bagpipe in the band to be the 'master'. All others will tune to this one. Once the chanter is well set, tune the drones of the master bagpipe. Make sure the drones are perfectly in tune with Low A.

Turn on the tuner using the Power button. Push the Manual button (once or twice) until the note selected is B-flat. The standard frequency will read 440 Hertz (Hz), or cycles per second, at this point. This does not mean that B-flat is 440 Hz, but rather that the B-flat is relative to an A of 440 Hz. Therefore, the B-flat is 466 Hz. (this '+26' formula will tell you your absolute pitch of Low A with these things). Hold the meter up to the outside tenor of the well-tuned master pipe, and repeatedly push the Calibrate button until the Green LED lights steadily (and the red sharp/flat lights stop) and the needle is locked at 0 (zero) cents (the deviation from the master pitch).

The number displayed (say 446) is of the note A relative to standard A. So if it's 446, you add 26 and know your Low A pitch is 472 Hz. Tune the rest of the drones to this frequency. There are two ways to do it. First, you can go around while the whole band is playing and do all drones to the meter. In addition, you can have each piper blow up individually, tune their outside tenor to the meter, then tune the middle tenor and bass to the outside tenor by ear (can be much faster). I use both methods so that I'm constantly tuning drones regardless of what the P/M is doing.