APR 23

There are about fifty things on my desk right now. Most of them are pieces of paper...business cards, a couple dollars, some tax forms. But there are also some CDs, a phone, a computer monitor, a camera, a guitar tuner, a printer cartridge, a knife...y'know....THINGS!

And then when I widen my view beyond the desk...things start to look really desperate. I'm surrounded by stuff. Probably 50% of it is made of paper...most of that being books. But there's also a heavy dose plastic, metal and good ol' wood. A lot of my things, strangely enough, exist simply to carry other things...book shelves, filing cabinets, etc. Frankly, I'm getting tired of it.

And so, in the spirit of EcoGeekiness, I hereby pledge to actually do something about it. This stuff has to go! It's pretty easy to get rid of stuff nowadays...with EBay and Craigslist and Freecycle. But some of it might not be so easy to part with. So I am hereby beginning a series in which I will be replacing hardware either with multiple-use items (trading scissors for knives) or with software. And, hoorah! I will free myself of these earthly ties....and increase that beautiful spiritual connection I have with this machine before me.

The first item to ditch...my guitar tuner.

Guitar tuners, after all, are just a microphone and some very simple software. Most laptops have microphones built right in, so why waste money on a hunk of plastic when you're computer can do the job for you?

After a quick search, I found this $15 shareware program for my Mac, which not only is simple to use, but is significantly more accurate than my physical guitar tuner.

And for my PC we've got Audio Tuner 0.5, which works on everything from Windows 95 to Vista and, while it's not as pretty as, and a little clunkier than the Mac ap, it is absolutely free, and tuned me up in no time. But even better is the free GuiTools, which not only has a built in tuner, but also helps identify every single chord and scale you can play with a six-string.

So I hope Freecycle is ready for my guitar tuner. Maybe somebody out there needs it for its portability. But I'm happy to say...I just don't need it anymore.

Comments (15)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

...
written by Space, April 23, 2008

The problem with the computer is that it doesn't quite fit in my instrument case when I go to a gig or a rehearsal.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Computer at the Gig
written by hank, April 23, 2008

I actually take my macbook to all my gigs...I can broadcast to fans via stickam...record the show, and tune up. I'm not a professional musician or anything...but it's not like it's a heavy load compared with hauling around a guitar.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Josh, April 23, 2008

Sorry, but I could never trade a knife for scissors. Knives are cool, and a Gerber is probably the most awesome tool I've ever owned.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by unregistered, April 23, 2008

Josh, he said (trading scissors for knives)I still need both, but not on my desk. Getting rid of stuff is on of my SUPREME procrastination faults.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Computer
written by Steven, April 24, 2008

what about Linux? not only are you not supporting any money/power hungry corporations (its free!), can be easily customized to save power, it works on any hardware (Macs, PCs, etc..), and there are a TON of free programs!

i have Ubuntu linux, and i just did a quick search for guitar programs and found guitar sound processors, recorders, a couple of tuner programs, tabulature editors, and even a clone of Guitar Hero! all for free, my friends. Dont take my word for it, go to www.ubuntu.com

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by toto, April 24, 2008

Guitar tuner... why don't you learn how to tune the guitar with with your own ears... ? It's easy to carry, not made of plastic... and less complicated as you might think ;)

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Guitar Tuner?
written by Ben, April 24, 2008

What the hell, your using a tuner for your guitar? Gawd do it with your ears I mean damn, its not difficult at all.

Anyone who knows how to play the guitar should know how to tune one by ear!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Roy, April 24, 2008

yeah, Steven's right. apt-get for the win, if you don't know what it's called, then aptitude, and if you don't know what it's called AND are afraid of terminal, then synaptic's there to help.

Just got a mac... and as cool as fink and ports are... it's just not quite as magical as apt.

On the upside, the lapintosh allowed me to break free of the power-hungry desktop for things like photoshop. I almost never need that 400W monster anymore.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by eatingorange, April 24, 2008

Getting rid of stuff is cool. I recently spent a month cleaning out my office and garage. My eBay earnings so far is over $1,500 and I still have a bunch of things to list. For me, the hardest part is getting beyond my ridiculous emotional attachment to worthless inanimate junk. Once I make the decision to do it, everything is fair game. And I feel good afterward. It's like taking a step forward in my life by getting rid of old things that tie me to the past.

The hard part for me is not rushing out to buy new things.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Buying less new things
written by SavingDiva, April 24, 2008

I'm concentrating on keeping my level of junk to a minimum. I don't really have anything that I think I can part with, but I will try to limit the amount of crap that I purchase.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

tuning by ear
written by nicster, April 24, 2008

it's quite easy to tune a guitar by ear. as long as you only want to tune it to itself. if the first string is off and you tune to that, the whole guitar is off. unless you have perfect pitch. or you just don't care.

but, tuning a whole band without at least one tuner just takes forever.

using software to replace hardware is indeed a nifty idea. thanks for the reminder.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

I need to title my comments here?
written by Jessica, April 24, 2008

Crazy.
Anyway, I'm on a similar quest to rid myself of stuff. Not only do I do it for the reasons you surely are, but I have a problem with compulsive hoarding. Its awful. Its the epitome of the diesease that enflicts our society, all represented in one little person.
I will be following these posts closely, to see how your journey compares to mine.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

mmm kind of disagree here
written by Alain Petit, April 25, 2008

Well, on the power consumption perceptive ... why would i want to use my laptop using ~ 50 Watt/h to do a task that the tuner at maybe not even 2-3 watt would do ...

On the same perceptive ... i tend to use a 30w/h dvd player instead of using the computer/laptop ...

Single purpose thind have better power consumption then multipurpose things

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Guitar tuners?
written by nuvi, April 25, 2008

Quick count, how many of you have guitar tuners on your desk? Yeah, how about something that can really be useful?

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by MattKelly, April 29, 2008

hank-thanks for a great article and the link to freecycle.org. And I loved eatingorange's comment. I am moving from a 1-br bungalow with a separate studio, to a studio within walking distance of work. So I am in the process of eliminating so much stuff and its liberating. Years ago I lived through a fire where I lost everthing I owned as my place burned to the ground and oddly enough, it was one of the most freeing experiences I've ever had, not owning anything. Odd how I have again accumulated stuff that I have a ridiculous attachment to. Keep purging eatingorange--I'm right along with you!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment