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Some Thoughts on Intonation (Pdf) WOODWIND NO'I-HS SOMETHOUGHTS ON INTONATION BY MICHAELBURNS One of the most importantaspects they havea movingexternal pitch source of performingon non-fixed-pitchinstru- to try and match. Over time when they MICHAEI ments like those of the woodwind family learnto do this then havethem try to in- BURNS is learningto play in tune. Thisarticle is ternalizethe pitch source that they are EDITOB intendedto outlinesome generalcon- matchingby "singing"inside their heads. cepts of good intonation,without going NoW when I hearthis singing inside my intospecifics forthe differentinstruments. head it does NOT mean that I am crazy certain pitch tendencies of most fluter Learningto play in tune involvessev- and talkingto myself! As statedabove, I and clarinetswhich must be learnedanr eral differenttasks: using a correctem- am memorizingand internalizinga refer- adjustedfor appropriately,but the scaler bouchure,correct fingerings, good sup- ence pitchsource to matchon my instru- of specificinstruments vary a lot. No tw< port and air management,having well ment. Thesinging in my headis not even flutes,for example,play with exactlythr functioning equipment (instrument, in my own voice,but is my idealvoice - sameintonation. mouthpiece,reeds), playing in tunewith perfectlyin tune, with wonderfultone, Plavinq in Tune with Others oneself,and playingin tune with others. excellentvibrato (if applicable),excep- lf one learnsto playwell in tunewitl In this afticle,I will only addressthe lat- tionaldynamic control, and appropriate oneselfthen playingin tune with otherr ter two of these. phrasing.I thentry to recreatethis ideal is usuallynot a hugeproblem. However Plavinq in Tune with Oneself voice on my instrument. The fact that I thereare some tips and suggestionstha I sometimeshave studentsask why can neverbe as perfectonly makes me I would liketo make. The first sugges they haveto always learnand play scales. try harder. tion relatessomewhat to the conceot o My answer is that scales and arpeggios Of course,there is a wonderfultool internalsinging mentioned above. Wher form the basis of the vast majorityof in helpingus to learnto play in tune - tryingto matchsomeone else's pitch, musicthat they will be playing.Learning the electronictuner. I havealready sug- listenmuch moreto the otherperson thar to play our scales makes us more tech- gestedusing the abilitiesof manytuners to myself.I heartheir note and picturei nicallyfluent on the instrumentin the dif- to play pitches. All of them also have a as a largeround object with a holein the ferentkeys, helps us to recognizethe visualcue to guide intonation.I believe centerlike a donut or bagel. I thentry tc differentand familiarpatterns present in that atuner is a necessaryand most use- fit my note insidethe holeto make a solic our music,and, finally,helps us to learn ful tool, but it has some potentialtraps. circle. to play in tune with ourselves.Early on Many playerscome to leantoo much on To do this, I listenperhaps 90% tc in our musicaltraining we learnwhat a the visualfeedback from the tuner,they the otherperson and 10%1omyself. The majorscale sounds like and perhapsits areonly in tune if the needleon the gauge processis verysimilar to the idealvoice structureof whole and half-steps.When is straightup orthe circlestops spinning. in thatI simplytry to emulatetheir sounc playinga scale,the performershould be It is vital for a player to hear and even - pitch, and even tone so that it wil checkingwhat they play againsttheir feel where a note is in tune, ratherthan blendwell. I do not thinkof flator sharc memory of what the scale is supposed to just see it. usually,just trying to be the same. Some. to sound like. This conceptof mentally The besttuners in the world need to how my earstell my brainwhat changes 'hearing"or even"singing" the notesbe- becomethe ones on eitherside of your to mak-eto get the note in tune. I have foreand during playingis an extremely head - your ears. Have students play foundthat if someonethinks only in terms mportantaspect of playingin tune. games or challenges,play a note with of being flat or sharp, that they often dc lf possible,I try to encouragestu- their eyes closed,when they think that not makethe rightamount of adjustment Centsto actuallyphysically sing scales, the note is in tune then open theireyes often over-compensating. and even passages or entire songs for to seewhat the tunersays. lf it is in tune A goldenrule of intonationthat was lheirinstrument. This removesall prob- then they can go on to anothernote, if drilledinto me froman earlyage isthat i'l emsof fingerings,reeds, etc. and allows not they shouldtry again. The bettera there is an intonation problem, assume :hem to hear where the notes are sup- player learnsto hear in tune the more that you are the one who is wrong and cosed to sound. When they get the often they will be correctwith the tuner. try to fix it! lf everyone assumes thal citches correct I then have them try to Eventually,they will not reallyneed someoneelse is at faultthen nobodywil 'ecreatewhat they just sang on the in- the tunerto know if they are in tune or move and the problem will remain. l1 strument,listening to the (hopefullystill not. As stated above, a certain degree everyonetries to fix it, it can also lead tc :orrect) pitch in their heads and match- of this processcan be aidedbyfeel. One problems(see below) but oftenwill help. ng the physicalpitch on the instrument shouldlearn what it feelslike to playeach lf you try to fix it by moving in everycon- :o it. of the notes on the instrumentin tune. ceivabledirection and the problemper. lf the studentshave difficulty doing Often there are slight differencesin the sists,then go back to where you think ,histhen there are a few ways that I have combinationsof embouchure,support, that your note belongs and hope thal 'oundto help. You can find a tuner ca- oral cavity,etc., as well as fingering someoneelsewill moveto fix it. lt is usu- rable of playingpitches and havethem changes. lf these are memorizedfor ally best if one personkeeps their note rlay the scaleslowly while the tuner plays each notethen it becomesa lot easierto steady and the other tries to match it, ,hetonic note. This allowsthem to refer find the correct pitch every time. Each otherwiseit is hard to hit a moving tar- .othe tonic, and can increaseawareness playershould also learnto compensate get. rf intervals.Anotherway is to play along for their own instruments'idiosyncratic Again,games can be devisedwith n unison or octaves with them so that pitchtendencies. For examole. there are lwo nlavers takino trrrnc tn ho the nno who keeps the note steady while the This signifiesthat the notes are other moves to match. oscillat_ flutes a flat low registerand sharp Obviously,the ing at the same frequency high complexity ano are now register,etc. Even if of this game is alteredde_ synchronized. these flat or shalo Games can be played notes occur pendingon the note being played,the at the same place on differ- havingstudents deliberately play in instrumentsinvolved (2 ind ent instrumentsit is unlikelythat they will clarinetsis pretty out of tuneso thatthey different can hearand iden_ be the same amountflat than flute and oboe, tor ei_ tify or sharo. these beats. Then have them use There ample), and how many players are try_ are various methods of alter_ them to know if they are in tune or not bv ing to match pitches. This game ing intonationon the woodwinds. Of can be trying to make the beats go done in away. course if the instrumentis unisons and octaves, then Playing sharp overall in tune with others involves then it can branch out to Sths,3rds, 4ths, 6ths, etc. be lengthenedby puilingout. a lot of compromise. lf your note would Getstudents used to constructing On the fly there are other methods of al_ chords be perfectlyin tune with the tuner, and makingthem but teringintonation, some good, some in tune. Most people everyoneelse not_ in the band is higher in so good such as: advocate building either from the bass pitch, changingfingerings, thenyou willbe the onewho is out rolling upwards,and/ortuning all the roots,add- a flute in or out, movingltre liw of tune! Intonationis not absolute,it is up ing fifths,and finallythirds to triads. or down, taking more or less reed/ continuallyshifting, and the better play_ Studentsshould be made mouthpiecein the mouth, etc. A tech_ aware of ers are moving along with it. the acoustic principle niquewhich is fairlywell establishedin of ',beats,'or In the woodwind "waves". familywe alsoface the doublereeds and the flute, Every note that we play has a an intonation and which problemnotfound amonost some single specificfrequency. A=440 means that reed playersalso advocate the strings or brass. The woodwindin_ is the the pitch resultingfrom a sound vibra_ use of differentvowel-sound con_ strumentsare all so differentfrom one figurations tion oscillating440 times per second in the oral cavitv. anotherthat they can haveopposite ten- (alHz) is called A. lf one player plays Essentially,the more ihat vou think dencies. An importantexample is that towards the note at 44O,and another plays it an E sound,the higherihepitch. at when a clarinetor saxophonecrescen_ 441 or 438 cycles per second Moretowards a U or O the lowerthe pitch. then the dos, it tends to go flatter. Flutes, notes are oboes. I like to use this method a lot because out of tune and this will set uo and bassoons it on the otherhand will tend is unobtrusive,having an additionalsound which is often re- go litfle effect on air, to sharper. This meansthat if we get embouchure ferredto as "beats,'or,'waves.,,The andfingerings; and it allows beat a woodwind chord in tune at is createdby the one dv_ for small,delicate changes, which should two notes being out of namic it can fall to pieces synchronization.
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