Hearing with the ears, not the eyes

While electronic tuners have their place in the toolbox of all musicians, too often young students are told they are sharp or flat and make adjustments (often over compensating) to their instruments without any real idea of what sound they are wishing to produce. This is an important point because we should always go for a great sound first. A person can play in tune with a tuner and still produce a poor sound by bending an unfocused and mediocre sound to fit the acceptance of an electronic device. It is a far better goal to go for a great sound first and allow for intonation to be remedied by vocally matching pitch and transferring this skill into their playing. This is not to say a tuner is useless, but if a player is not going for a resonant sound first, all other ideas about pitch render themselves useless and unmusical.