Klarinet Archive - Posting 000589.txt from 1999/11
From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] ensemble intonation
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 10:06:03 -0500
Playing in tune in any kind of an ensemble, even playing a duet, is very
challenging. When I went to college, I was very lucky to have a band director
who understood and taught good tuning. A lot of what I learned had to do with
the the differences of equal temperament and just tuning. My band director also
understood all of the instruments, what their tuning tendencies were, what
alternate fingerings could be applied and why players might be, because of poor
embouchures or lack of proper breath support, playing out of tune. Time and
continued effort to improve tuning is always needed. The battle is never
completely won nor ever over. What it takes to be in tune is a whole bunch of
everything--good players, good instruments in good regulation, and most
importantly, a good attitude. When any two players are out of tune it should be
the responsibility of both to find each other.
Since those days, I have become an instrument repairman. Gaining knowledge in
this area has further expanded my understanding of still more reasons why
ensembles have tuning problems.
If the members of the ensembles you are playing with are truly concerned, as you
are, and if they wish to make the ensemble better in tune, here are some
suggestions:
Develop your understanding and knowledge of the just tuning system, fitting
members of a chord into the naturally occurring overtone series.
Develop your ears and mind so that you can identify what part of the chord you
are playing. Are you on the root, the third, the fifth, the flatted seventh,
etc.
Spend time with a tuner. While a tuner will only show you how your instrument
lines up or varies from an equally tempered scale, it will tell you some
important things about how you play and what notes on your instrument are
consistently sharp or flat. We all tend to become conditioned to our own tuning.
In some instances, we might get very use to hearing some notes as being OK, when
in fact, they are not as well in tune as we think they are.
Have your instrument regulated by a skilled repairman. Many tuning problems can
be solved or substantially improved.
When playing in an ensemble and encountering tuning problems, stop and make an
effort to fix them. Determine what the chord is and who is playing what. Tune
everyone who has the root. Add the fifth and get it perfectly in tune. Those who
have the third should next be added. They will need to substantially lower this
pitch (about 1/7th of a half step). If the chord has an added flatted seventh,
this note will need to enter very, very flat (1/3rd of a half step).
Right now, Mark has listed several articles that deal with tuning. Check them
out.
Nicholas Yip wrote:
> Hi, I have a little pet peeve. When I play in an ensemble there are
> times in which we are not in tune with each other. What I mean is that
> there are some places in which somebody plays a note a little out of tune
> with the ensemble then tunes it. It is not just one person, rather several
> people. It seems like that nobody listens first to how the next note should
> sound before playing it. We cannot come to an agreement to how EVERY pitch
> should sound. It is a real pain to the player and the director.
> Is this just flat out part of ensemble playing, or not?
> Nick Yip
>
> "I'm a clarinetist, I can't help complaining!"
>
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