How do I tune something in French?

July 20, 2009 5:23 PM

The French way to say the verb "tuned" as in a piano or a chorus?

I'm having the hardest time communicating the concept of "tuning" something with a French speaker. I mean it both in the perfecting and the musical sense - to make something harmonious, hit just the right notes, sort of thing. X has been tuned by Y.

I don't need a single word, but bonus points for a single word. Google Translate is less than useful.

This is a French speaker with a great deal of background in audio, but not an engineer.

posted by Gucky to writing & language (8 comments total)

I am a lapsed biligual Canadian. I would say "L'instrument est precisement en accord" (The instrument is perfectly tuned). I am sure you will get a better answer from a native French speaker. I look forward to the answer.
posted by sid abotu at 5:50 PM on July 20

Accorder is used as "to tune (an instrument)" in French.
posted by cmchap at 5:52 PM on July 20

Seconding verb Accorder.

Cet instrument est bien accordé.
posted by PowerCat at 6:15 PM on July 20

Not a native French speaker. In Haiti, at least, accordé works best to talk about an entire instrument being in tune (or being placed in tune). A single note being in tune would be juste.
posted by dr. boludo at 6:48 PM on July 20

A choir is en accorde when they're all singing the same pitch.

A piano is en accorde when every note is juste.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:20 PM on July 20

en accord
posted by Wolof at 7:57 PM on July 20

Nthing accorder. Non-native (but reasonably well-studied) Canadian French speaker.
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 8:25 PM on July 20

Another chime-in for accorder (verb) and accordé(e) (adjective). Not a native French speaker, but have lived in France for a decade and am a musician, with French musician friends.

When referring to the actions of playing and singing, it's a bit different: "she's singing in tune" would be "elle chante juste"; "he's playing out of tune" would be "il joue faux".
posted by fraula at 12:28 AM on July 21