Intonation​ ​solutions​ ​for​ ​orchestral​ ​players

Issues​ ​of​ ​intonation​ ​generally​ ​are​ ​fraught​ ​with​ ​a​ ​high​ ​degree​ ​of​ ​emotionality​ ​and​ ​defensiveness.​ ​The
majority​ ​of​ ​the​ ​strategies​ ​for​ ​better​ ​intonation​ ​are​ ​based​ ​on​ ​science.

1. For​ ​the​ ​winds,​ ​when​ ​playing​ ​passages​ ​with​ ​the​ ​clarinets,​ ​use​ ​less​ ​vibrato​ ​than​ ​usual​ ​(Clarinets​ ​rarely
use​ ​vibrato​ ​except​ ​in​ ​jazz.)
2. Intonation​ ​can​ ​be​ ​significantly​ ​and​ ​quickly​ ​improved​ ​in​ ​prime​ ​unison​ ​passages​ ​if​ ​everyone​ ​but​ ​the​ ​first
player​ ​uses​ ​only​ ​a​ ​little​ ​or​ ​no​ ​vibrato​ ​and​ ​plays​ ​slightly​ ​softer​ ​[obviously​ ​excepting​ ​clarinets​ ​with
respect​ ​to​ ​vibrato].
3. All​ ​players​ ​should​ ​tune​ ​to​ ​ONE​ ​designated​ ​player.​ ​ ​This​ ​one​ ​player​ ​should​ ​be​ ​chosen​ ​considering​ ​one
or​ ​both​ ​of​ ​the​ ​following​ ​criteria:​ ​ ​one​ ​who​ ​can​ ​be​ ​most​ ​easily​ ​heard​ ​by​ ​the​ ​others​ ​playing​ ​the​ ​passage
and/or​ ​who​ ​has​ ​been​ ​playing​ ​a​ ​solo​ ​line​ ​before​ ​the​ ​passage​ ​which​ ​involves​ ​the​ ​others.
4. Next,​ ​this​ ​one​ ​person​ ​plays​ ​the​ ​passage​ ​with​ ​one​ ​other​ ​individual​ ​who​ ​MATCHES​ ​the​ ​intonation​ ​of
the​ ​point​ ​person.​ ​(Under​ ​no​ ​circumstances​ ​should​ ​the​ ​point​ ​person​ ​attempt​ ​to​ ​adjust​ ​his/her​ ​pitch​ ​after
it​ ​has​ ​been​ ​established.​ ​She/he​ ​must​ ​play​ ​exactly​ ​the​ ​same​ ​on​ ​each​ ​“repeat”.)​ ​This​ ​is​ ​repeated
individually​ ​until​ ​everyone​ ​has​ ​played​ ​a​ ​“duet”​ ​with​ ​the​ ​designated​ ​player.​ ​ ​Any​ ​adjustments​ ​made
should​ ​be​ ​marked​ ​in​ ​the​ ​parts.​ ​Everyone​ ​then​ ​plays​ ​several​ ​times​ ​together,​ ​resulting​ ​in​ ​markedly
improved​ ​tuning.
5. In​ ​the​ ​large​ ​majority​ ​of​ ​adjacent​ ​or​ ​non-adjacent​ ​octave​ ​passages​ ​for​ ​any​ ​instrument,​ ​the​ ​BOTTOM
octave​ ​should​ ​be​ ​played​ ​at​ ​least​ ​one​ ​dynamic​ ​louder​ ​than​ ​printed​ ​with​ ​a​ ​full-bodied​ ​vibrato.​ ​The​ ​result
is​ ​significantly​ ​improved​ ​intonation​ ​and​ ​tone​ ​quality​ ​since​ ​the​ ​higher​ ​octave​ ​will​ ​appear​ ​better​ ​in​ ​tune
and​ ​less​ ​shrill.​ ​Also,​ ​the​ ​players​ ​of​ ​the​ ​higher​ ​octave​ ​will​ ​intuitively​ ​“press​ ​less​ ​and​ ​play​ ​softer.”​ ​In​ ​the
music​ ​of​ ​Haydn,​ ​Mozart,​ ​Beethoven,​ ​et​ ​al.,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​very​ ​common​ ​for​ ​the​ ​horns​ ​and​ ​trumpets​ ​to​ ​play
octaves.​ ​Often​ ​the​ ​first​ ​trumpet​ ​and​ ​first​ ​horn​ ​parts​ ​are​ ​high​ ​and/or​ ​soft,​ ​and​ ​ultimately​ ​challenging.
When​ ​the​ ​lower​ ​octaves​ ​are​ ​played​ ​louder​ ​than​ ​marked,​ ​many​ ​good​ ​things​ ​happen​ ​vis​ ​a​ ​vis​ ​intonation
and​ ​accuracy.
6. For​ ​just-diatonic​ ​tuning​ ​and​ ​balancing​ ​of​ ​chords,​ ​please​ ​follow​ ​the​ ​following​ ​procedure.
1. Determine​ ​the​ ​quality​ ​of​ ​the​ ​chord​ ​(e.g.​ ​major,​ ​dominant​ ​7th,​ ​major​ ​7th).​ ​Start​ ​with​ ​the​ ​root,
then​ ​add​ ​the​ ​fifth,​ ​balancing​ ​the​ ​two​ ​notes​ ​and​ ​tuning​ ​them​ ​using​ ​equal-tempered​ ​tuning.
Then​ ​add​ ​the​ ​third,​ ​and​ ​finally​ ​the​ ​dominant​ ​7th​ ​(major​ ​seventh),​ ​tuning​ ​them​ ​using​ ​the
just-diatonic​ ​protocol.​ ​THIS​ ​ORDER​ ​IS​ ​CRUCIALLY​ ​IMPORTANT
 2. It​ ​is​ ​very​ ​important​ ​that​ ​the​ ​open​ ​fifth​ ​is​ ​balanced​ ​and​ ​is​ ​in​ ​tune.​ ​When​ ​the​ ​fifth​ ​is​ ​acceptable,
depending​ ​upon​ ​the​ ​physical​ ​space,​ ​you​ ​will​ ​probably​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​faintly​ ​hear​ ​the​ ​major​ ​third
as​ ​an​ ​overtone.
3. The​ ​major​ ​third​ ​and​ ​dominant​ ​7th​ ​should​ ​be​ ​played​ ​LOWER​ ​in​ ​pitch​ ​than​ ​equal-tempered
tuning.​ ​ ​(Taking​ ​into​ ​account​ ​pitch​ ​tendencies​ ​of​ ​certain​ ​notes​ ​on​ ​certain​ ​instruments,​ ​the
major​ ​third​ ​should​ ​be​ ​about​ ​14​ ​cents​ ​lower​ ​and​ ​the​ ​dominant​ ​7th​ ​about​ ​29​ ​cents​ ​lower.)
4. Further,​ ​when​ ​the​ ​third​ ​and​ ​seventh​ ​are​ ​added,​ ​they​ ​should​ ​be​ ​played​ ​proportionately​ ​more
SOFTLY​ ​than​ ​the​ ​root​ ​and​ ​fifth.
7. One​ ​of​ ​the​ ​purposes​ ​of​ ​dissonance​ ​is​ ​to​ ​create​ ​tension,​ ​which​ ​often​ ​resolves​ ​to​ ​consonance.​ ​This
phenomenon​ ​is​ ​equally​ ​valid​ ​in​ ​tonal​ ​and​ ​atonal​ ​music,​ ​though​ ​of​ ​course,​ ​consonance​ ​manifests​ ​itself
differently.​ ​To​ ​create​ ​increased​ ​dissonance,​ ​expand​ ​the​ ​interval​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​so​ ​that​ ​instead​ ​of​ ​playing​ ​one
note​ ​(e.g.​ ​B)​ ​close​ ​to​ ​the​ ​other​ ​(e.g.​ ​C)​ ​as​ ​in​ ​a​ ​leading​ ​tone​ ​function​ ​using​ ​expressive​ ​intonation,​ ​do
just​ ​the​ ​opposite​ ​and​ ​expand​ ​the​ ​dissonant​ ​interval.​ ​In​ ​other​ ​words,​ ​widen​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​between​ ​C​ ​and
B,​ ​as​ ​a​ ​minor​ ​second​ ​or​ ​a​ ​major​ ​seventh,​ ​by​ ​lowering​ ​the​ ​B​ ​in​ ​pitch.​ ​This​ ​approach​ ​also​ ​has​ ​the
additional​ ​benefit​ ​of​ ​delineating​ ​the​ ​harmony​ ​more​ ​clearly,​ ​whether​ ​tonal​ ​or​ ​atonal.
8. The​ ​piano,​ ​mallet​ ​percussion,​ ​harp,​ ​celesta,​ ​et​ ​al.​ ​are​ ​equal-tempered​ ​instruments​ ​and​ ​cannot​ ​adjust
their​ ​pitch​ ​“on​ ​the​ ​fly”.​ ​Therefore,​ ​adjustments​ ​must​ ​be​ ​made​ ​by​ ​others​ ​to​ ​accommodate
equal-tempered,​ ​fixed​ ​intonation.
9. With​ ​strings,​ ​listen​ ​to​ ​your​ ​stand​ ​partner​ ​and​ ​blend​ ​with​ ​his/her​ ​sound.​ ​This​ ​results​ ​in​ ​both​ ​improved
intonation​ ​AND​ ​a​ ​better​ ​section​ ​sound.​ ​Playing​ ​as​ ​a​ ​soloist​ ​(i.e.​ ​aggressive,​ ​lots​ ​of​ ​bow​ ​pressure,​ ​wide
and​ ​dominating​ ​vibrato,​ ​reduced​ ​dynamic​ ​range)​ ​in​ ​an​ ​orchestra​ ​almost​ ​always​ ​negatively​ ​affects
intonation.
10. Often,​ ​intonation​ ​problems​ ​with​ ​strings​ ​are​ ​the​ ​result​ ​of​ ​awkward​ ​fingerings​ ​and​ ​inappropriate​ ​shifts.
Check​ ​with​ ​your​ ​principal​ ​or​ ​concertmaster​ ​to​ ​determine​ ​the​ ​best​ ​solutions.