How to Hook an Oscilloscope to a Piano

With a few extra components, connecting an oscilloscope to a piano is a quick and easy process. Oscilloscopes translate electronic signals into visible waveforms, which makes them a useful if unreliable tuning tool. Piano strings resonate with distinct, sharp overtones that can clash when resonating simultaneously with other strings. Using an oscilloscope to tune an entire piano would not take these overtones into account, which would result in a poorly tuned instrument. Oscilloscopes should only be used to accurately tune the primary "master" string that the other strings are tuned to.

Things You'll Need

• Amplifier
• Contact microphone

Instructions

1. Connect the contact microphone to the input jack on the amplifier via 1/8-inch cable.

2. Place the contact microphone flat on the string chassis.

3. Connect the oscilloscope to the output jack on the amplifier via 1/8-inch cable.

4. Plug in the oscilloscope and move the power button to the "On" position.

5. Play a note on the piano and watch the oscilloscope screen to view the waveform.

References

• Tektronix: Oscilloscope
• Detwiler: How to Tune a Piano Yourself

Resources

• Tektronix: Contest Videos