Talking Turner

By Matthew Bullis

App Details

By:  HotPaw Productions

Price:  $0.99

Devices:  Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.  Requires iOS 4.2 or later.

Description:  Finally, there exists an app for visually impaired musicians to check the tuning of their musical instruments. The tuners that existed before this one were hardware devices which used a needle to indicate the state of the note being played. This was no help if you can’t see at all. Many blind musicians have very good sense of pitch, though results vary with each individual. This app will tell you what note you’re near, and will say, for instance, “Note A is five cents flat.” If you increase the pitch of the note, the tuner will tell you if you’ve gone sharp or if it’s now in tune. You should wait until the note has had about a second or so to settle, as the striking of the note places it a bit higher than what it will eventually resolve to. I’ve tested this tuner app with a range of instruments: harmonicas, guitars, autoharps, mandolins, and various other stringed instruments I have at my disposal, and the tuner was able to detect notes within the full range. The autoharp for instance, has a three octave range, and other instruments have doubled strings and other overlaying harmonics and incidental harmony, such as the accordion or concertina. For one dollar, this app is extremely valuable, and was actually designed with the blind in mind.

Talking Tuner is compatible for blind, low vision, or sighted.

Pros:

• Fully accessible with VoiceOver
• Easy to use/navigate
• Extremely accurate

Cons:

• Talking Tuner has experienced some trouble with identifying extremely high notes