the instrument to a strobe, any physical adjustments of air speed, embouchure, alternate fingerings, etc, should be avoided. Only use these adjustments while actually performing music, not while tuning the instrument to its best note and instrument length. TUNING—AN ONGOING PROCESS ‘Tuning is not just something we do at the beginning of each rehearsal. Tuning is an ongoing process. In other words, tuning at the beginning of rehearsal is used toplace the instruments at their correct length, and to wake up the ears for active listening, The remainder of the rehearsal includes an ongoing attention to fitting ‘ach pitch within the sounding overtones of the ensemble by listening down to the lowest voices. In order to achieve such beat-less tuning, students must lean how to manually adjust their pitch by such means as air, embouchure, alternate fingerings, rolling of head joint (flutes), etc. However, along with learning how tomake pitch adjustments, players must also understand the various factors that affect pitch (Table 17). FACTORS AFFECTING PITCH ‘able 17: Factors Affecting Pitch ir @ siow, weak air speed = unsupported tone which can cause pitch to go sharp @ fast, overbiown air speed = wide, uncontrolled tone which can cause pitch togo flat © steady, focused air speed = centered and supported pitch Posture ® poor posture = poor tone and thus poor pitch © correct posture = centered and supported pitch Embouchure @ weak and poorly developed embouchure = saggy, abby tone which can ccause pitch to go flat ® tight, biting or forced embouchure = thin, restricted tone which can cause pitch to go sharp @ fue: air stream directed too far down = fat pitch; ar stream directed too far up = sharp pitch © correctly formed embouchure and direction of air stream = centered ‘and supported pitch Amount of @ too much mouthpiece in mouth = wide, uncontroled tone plays fat Mouthpiece too little mouthpiece in mouth = small, restricted tone induces biting which causes pitch to play sharp © fute: too much lower lip on plate = fat pitch; too litle lower lip on plate = sharp piteh ® obve/bassoon: too much reed in mouth = shortened instrument that ‘causes pitch to play sharp; too little reed in mouth = lengthened Instrument that causes pitch to play flat ‘© correct amount of mouthpiece taken in or covered = full and centered pitch © oboe: if playing fat, cutoff tip of reed, or take a litle more reed into ‘mouth; if playing sharp, pull tube out slighty (but never more than 41/8th of an inch, or take a lite less reed into mouth © bassoon: same as oboe except you should NOT adjust length of reed= Angle of © angle too far forward = poorly supported embouchure contol on rag Mouthpiece Which causes pitch to go flat © angle to far back = poor embouchure and to much Pressure on gg hich causes pitch to go sharp © correct angle of mouthpiece = full and centered pitch Lay of © mouthpiece wit a close lay = restriction of embouchure adjuster ya. Mouthpiece causes pitch to play sharp © mouthpiece with an open la which causes pitch to play flat {© mouthpiece with a medium lay and medium tip opening = aby temibauchure to more easily control pitch too much room for embouchue asin Barrel and baarrel/bocal too long = lengthened instrument that wil play at Bocal Length @ barrel/bocal too short = shortened instrument that wil play sha © proper barrel/bocal length = ability for embouchure to more easiy control pitch; recommended clarinet barrel length is 66 mm; recommended standard bassoon bocel length is a #2 (#3 on Fox models) (the higher the number the longer the bocel) ee ee Hom Hand —_@ right hand held too far in = closing of bell causes pitch to play fat Position right hand held too far out = opening of bell causes pitch to play shay @ stopped hom = shortens instrument and causes pitch to pay sharp © correct hand position = centered pitch he a eet ah tee Reed @ reed t00 soft = weak reed that plays below pitch, and encourages ove Condition ‘lowing which causes pitch to go flat @ reed too hard = encourages biting, therefore it causes pitch to go shap © propery conditioned reed = able to control pitch Equipment @ poor equipment = poor pitch; often caused by inferiormade instruments; leaking tone holes; bent rods; poor mechanism alignment; poor quality ‘mouthpiece or percussion mallet; poor reed: poorly adjusted percussin heads, et. @ a pad that is too closed will cause pitch to play flat, while a pad too open will cause pitch to play sharp ‘© good equipment = good pitch; caused by purchasing quality director recommended instruments and equipment, proper care and ‘maintenance by the student, and by annual maintenance by a quali instrument technician, Dynamics @ lower dynamics = encourages pitch to play sharp* @ softer namics = encourages pitch to play fat © when playing at louder dynamics, compensate for sharp pitch by relaxing the embouchure/liping down; (utes will compensate fre sharp pitch by directing air stream down and/or rolling headjont i) @ when playing at softer dynamics, compensate for fat pitch by fring the embouchure/liping up; (utes wil compensate fora fiat ptt girectng airstream up and/or roling headjoint out) © Reeds: when paying at louder dynamics, compensate for fat itch by firming the embouchure © Reeds: when paying at softer dynamics, compensate for sharp ith relaxing the embouchure * opposite pitch tendency for reed instruments, esp. saxophone and clit (Although this pitch tendency can sometimes vary dependent on reed strength and embouchure.) Prt @ poor pitch concept = poor pitch; caused by lack of interval understansté Concept and poor knowledge of the concept of beat less tuning © good pitch concept = good pitch; caused by frequent and regular singing and playing of intervals, practice of beatess tuning, learnt the scale oftheir instrument; and developing the ability to dust pt! by means of embouchure and alternate fingeringsBolance @ poor balance = poor sound + poor intonation; caused by players trying to hhear themselves above others instead of with others; poor balance can often be an ensemble mix of under supported and overblown sounds that create distorted pitch © proper balance = good tone + good pitch; caused by quality tone production achieving the fundamental concepts of blend and balance, ‘and allowing a mature sound that can be clearly heard by players that ‘may need to adjust pitch tendencies to the specific chord in question Timpani unequal head tension = poor pitch itch © equal head tension = timpani in tune with itself @ aificuty tuning timpani = poor pitch @ ease of tuning = good pitch; caused by frequent and regular singing ‘and playing of intervals Temperature @ colder temperatures = flat pitch in wind instruments, but sharp pitch in string instruments @® warmer temperatures = sharp pitch in wind instruments, but fat pitch in ‘string instruments © whenever possible, warmup the ensemble in the actual performance hall instruct students that larger instruments and those instruments made of more metal than wood will change temperatures more drastically and thus their pitch willbe the most affected; instruments are tested and tuned at 72° F/ 22°C in the factories Clarinet Controversy ‘There is some controversy about tuning the clarinets, which the author believes we all should be aware of. Some believe you should tune the instrument to its proper length by using both the barrel and the middle joint. Others claim that you should never touch the middle joint. | | Part ofthe difficulty of tuning the clarinet is the fact that it is the only cylindrical ‘woodwind instrument that vibrates in odd partials only; in other words, itacts as a closed tube. The clarinet overblows a twelfth by skipping even-numbered partials. This creates greater intonation problems for the clarinet than the saxophone or oboe, which has an octave key (8") versus a register key (12th). The throat tones on the clarinet (G through Bb) bridge the gap between the missing octave and fifth. ‘Thumb F and open G are probably two of the best tuning notes on the clarinet, as these open notes put the instrument best in tune with itself. These two notes are tuned with the barrel, never the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece should never be used to adjust intonation on the clarinet. In general, the clarinet tends to play sharp in the lower register and the throat tones, and plays flat in the upper register. Low C and Bb can be tuned with the middle joint, while A and B in the staff can be tuned with the bell. Russell A. Pizer in How to Improve the High School Band Sound says Ithas been said that if one were to improve the intonation of just the clar- inet section the general intonation of the band would be improved by at least one-third, Itis the clarinet section that isthe largest. Is this section that not only carries the most melodic materials and lines but also does a great deal of accompanying of melodic lines being played by other sections. and instruments. The clarinet section of the band can be compared in importance with the violin section of the orchestra (Pizer, 1976, p. 133).Brass Pitch and the Harmonic Series The composition of the harmonic series follows the same set of intervals, every fundamental pitch: P8 ~ P5 ~ P4 ~ M3 ~ m3 ~ m3 - M2 ~ M29 = M2 ~ m2 ~ M2 ~ m2 m2 - m2 - (partials continue to get smaller and clog together). The addition of valves to brass instruments allowed players additional funds mentals, which offered an enhanced range of notes to sound. Valves create sevey possible combinations (0 - 2 - 1 - 12 - 23 - 13 — 123) that make a brass instry. ment fully chromatic by the utilization of seven harmonic series. Although the valve system greatly improved the melodic and technical effciene, of brass instruments, the system does create some pitch problems in that the combination of valves causes sharpness. Valve combinations affect pitch as follows: a! [lon alle 23 1 O00 Onl afl os 2 mm intune intune intune _slightlysharp slightly flat__ slightly sharp very sharp The pitch tendencies for notes in the harmonic series based on the Third Partial are slightly sharp, the Fifth Partial is flat, the Sixth Partial is slightly sharp, and the Seventh Partial is extremely flat. In order to help correct this problem, most trumpets are fitted with both a first and third valve trigger/ring, and many euphoniums are equipped with a compensating fourth valve. BEST TUNING NOTES FOR SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTS Based upon the acoustics and physical construction of each wind instrument, some notes are considered to be a more appropriate tuning note than others. By tuning to the recommended tuning note (Table 18), the instrument is better it tune with itself than by tuning to a poor pitch tendency to begin with.ee ee eee eee = CT ey Best Tuning Notes For Specific Instruments =» 67 {able 18: Recommended Tuning Notes. INSTRUMENT WRITTEN PITCH CONCERT PITCH RATIONALE Ciosee pipe (*Be certain that end plug of head joni aligned in center of enbouchure tone hole rate ~ ee Satisfactory tuning notes ote Most stabe/satistactory tuning note; orchestra tuning pitch Tune wth the barrel jt 3) Tune ith the midle ort; (most bands begin tring clarinets onthe C, however, you st tune C with the bare, fakes the toa ones fat othe caret 7 rest ofthe insvument) Ane wth he bo ge Sep A Most rele tuning not. gt Tne wh the mouplese Bassoon - CA Mostrelable tuning notes. Der Tune wth the boca lng # or red strength, (Never agus by paling ot on == the boca) Twat i Bb, F Open ingens; ost intune partials nthe harmon series F Open noe on B horn, but alow to tune sty sharp: (is is done because = Cis the Btn mode n harmonic seis and therefore is nara sharp we von & <4 not tune C shar then the est ofthe horn woul play at) (srg a dot) —~ - : : + (ot Payers ‘pen note on F hom: his isthe &th made in hanmane series and therefore isin tune; n other words, donot tune this note sharp on the F side of the hen) 168 = CHAPTER 8 Pitch/Intonation INSTRUMENT WRITTEN PITCH CONCERT PITCH RATIONALE Ope ot on Bb side, but allow to tune sgt aha (hss dw Clee Shmode in femenl sees ord teeore i aly shar Sot tune CSharp ten terest ofthe horn woud ay ft ture wn {unin sie (or man turing sie hom dove not have @ Bunn hse Open nto on F sie his isthe Bth oe in harmonic sees an hag inte: neo words Gore tune i note shap on the Feo be roms tie wth urn ise Bb Side: tune slightly sharp with 2nd vaive slide; (B is also a 6th harmonic) ” ten (ui) eon ~ ec Hoes) Se tre shy sharp wt 1 vow side (Bs loo 86th) tastvahe) DB ei neossry pl et an a vos ony Shy (astaand vate) See ture sight sharp wih Sd vahe side; A isa th harmon) tm F Side: repeat the above steps fr valve combinations using the F shies of te hom (ana my Tomtom Be Opentndement ‘ Tronbore wih F Match same note played witout the F attachment Forcier SESE Batore/ B® Open anderen : Eophnion == ‘ Bartne/ Be Open indareta ee Tuba ‘Bb Open fundamental = at: Infrmaton comple rom interviews wih selected professional mic edveators/artissTuning the Ensemble It is best to tune to both Concert Bb and Concert F before a rehearsal or a perfor- mance. Concert Bb is a good tuning note for the majority of the ensemble as it works well within a practical range of the overtone series for most the instruments. Using Concert F provides the horns a better tuning pitch than Bb, and it further allows the clarinets to tune throat tone G by adjusting with the barrel joint. (Keep in mind, however, that Concert F is a terrible tuning note for saxophones.) Table 19 provides a suggested tuning routine that may be varied from day to day, Table 19: Suggested 5 Minute Ensemble Tuning Routine 1 minute Play Concert Bb or F Seal half notes & other variations (emphasize listening for ensemble tone and balance at the Unison) A minute Play Concert Bb or F Scale Steps: | Ill =| -V~1;1=ll-V=INl=1 (emphasize listening for correct interval pitch approach) Sing Concert Bb or F Scale Steps: | ~~ 1-V=1;1~Il-V=Ill=1 A minute Play Concert Bb or F Chords: in scale tonic of F, Bb and Eb (eventually add entire Circle of aths/Sths to the routine). A variation is to play a harmonized scale in canonic fashion as follows: Group 1:1 234567876543 21——— (sustain tonic) Group2: 123456787654321 (sustain tonic) Group 3: 1234567876543 21— (sustain tonic) Group 4: 123456787654321 (emphasize listening for interval pitch at the Octave, Fifth, and Third) 45 seconds Play Concert Bb or F in quarter notes: Seale Steps 5 - 6 - 7 - 8(1) (emphasize listening for correct pitch approach to tonic) Sing Concert Bb or F in quarter notes: Seale Steps 5 - 6 - 7 - 8(1) 45 seconds then have principal tuning instrument sound a Bb, F, and A for (15 seconds per ensemble; (emphasize adjusting length of instrument to the one best each tuning note) _note of the three given for your instrument instead of using other methods to bring pitch to tuning center) ‘There are many opinions as to the best method of tuning a band, yet none are really incorrect if the method promotes players to hear for themselves. Our goal is to create independent players with great ears! Going up and down each row with an electronic tuner while instructing a student to push in or pull out is detrimental to developing independent aural skills. Here igngimethod used to tune an ensemble, Th