 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2026-10-17 14:41
While performing solo, do clarinetists typically adjust the tuning of individual notes to add (or reduce) melodic tension? Might they, perhaps, narrow the width of a leading tone interval, or similarly the interval of a major 3rd to a 4th in an upward scale?
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Author: rmk54
Date: 2026-10-17 17:49
It depends upon the harmonic context.
For example, in a dominant seventh chord, the leading tone is raised rather than lowered (as it would be if it were the third of a major chord).
To answer your question: it depends on the situation. In a run of 32nd notes, probably not. But in a slower context (say, the second movement of Brahms' Symphony No.4), definitely.
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Author: donald
Date: 2026-10-19 00:53
This is something we're all *supposed* to know about and do, but it's seldom taught (even at University level). A fair number of players might instinctively make some adjustments without "thinking" about it on an intellectual level.
Many years ago I was in the same room as the Principal wind players from a major symphony. They started discussing a (very fine player) who had been on a 6 month trial in the wind section (this orchestra routinely had long trial periods, then a "probationary" contract before appointing anybody) but had been turned down. For a few minutes they kind of forgot I was there and just talked about section playing and unisons - this player wasn't "following my dynamic phrasing, note lengths are good but she doesn't come with me on the phrase" (I pretty much remember that verbatim). Another principal then commented that she didn't have a good sense of "melodic intonation" by which I assumed it was meant some of the things discussed above.
These players were expecting their colleague to not just phrase with them, but know and predict WHEN to adjust the intonation on notes when playing a unison phrase.
Tough to get through an audition, play for months as a principal player, get accolades for beautiful solo passages, then get turned down for this - but as someone once said to me "THAT'S THE JOB".
Post Edited (2026-10-19 01:44)
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Author: ebonite
Date: 2026-10-19 13:47
I found this video quite interesting. It discusses the topic from the point of view of a violin soloist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp3OuEJAD0s
What I get from the video is that there are sometimes trade-offs between thinking of intonation vertically (based on the chord) and horizontally (based on the melody), and the job of a soloist is to find a sensible way to resolve these trade-offs.
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2026-10-19 16:49
This wasn't something anyone even spoke of during my formal music education through college. Not in the clarinet studio(s), not in the orchestra(s), not in the wind ensemble, and not in band.
However, I find the topic interesting and (in my mind) tied somewhat to written music. I would think experienced ears would lead us to adjust properly due to the role of each note, and the desired resolution - I'm not sure this must be taught (though pointing it out would sure help)...were it not for the visual stimuli telling us that an Eb is an Eb and a G is a G. In audible (non-written) context, we hear a Eb/G as being relative to what's around it, and where it is leading to, etc.
Increasingly, I view written music as only a shorthand form of communication. The ears are still needed to make it something more - a finished product.
Having recently helped start up a Civic Band has hammered this point home to me. Folks are coming in at various levels (mostly re-learning what they once knew) and hearing them play as a group is quite eye-opening. As a group, we might be playing an approximate of the notes on the pages before us, but strict adherence to the notes and markings on the page(s) will only get us so far...and it ain't pretty (yet), but it is a lot of fun, and everyone is improving each week!
Warmest Regards,
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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Author: brycon
Date: 2026-10-19 22:35
Quote:
While performing solo, do clarinetists typically adjust the tuning of individual notes to add (or reduce) melodic tension? Might they, perhaps, narrow the width of a leading tone interval, or similarly the interval of a major 3rd to a 4th in an upward scale?
When performing solo, like an orchestra excerpt, etude, or unaccompanied piece, I just try to play precisely in tune with what my tuner would say. Without the other parts of the orchestra being heard, someone listening to an excerpt probably doesn't know the harmonies (and there are only a few people on the planet with ears good enough to hear the orchestra part in their mind, hear the pitch you're playing, and mentally match up the two to see if your third fits with the imaginary orchestra part). To the listener, then, adjusting thirds will sound like a melodic line that's out of tune with itself (Ricardo calls it "solo tuning" vs "ensemble tuning").
I don't think you're asking about purely tuned intervals, though, but more so would someone ever play purposively a bit out of tune for expressive purposes. If so, the answer is yes. But, for myself at least, it isn't so systematic as lowering thirds by x cents and raising fifths by y cents (which I don't think should be so systematic either). I practice every day playing with a drone (playing slightly sharp on purpose, slightly flat on purpose, and exactly in tune), singing chorales while playing the other parts on the piano, solfeging melody lines with a tuner, etc., i.e. ear training is a large portion of my practice regimen. So when it comes to playing, I just follow what my ear tells me and don't intellectualize it.
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Author: donald
Date: 2026-10-19 23:34
Ron deKant taught us to study the score (when learning excerpts), and always know if we were coming in with a note the bassoon had just played and details like that.
As a performer, I've been chastised for playing too softly in entries/passages where other musicians had no hope in matching me (low notes on oboe etc), tuning on notes where the clarinet is dovetailing with flute ("that note will always be flat for me") etc
Mr deKant taught us we should expect an orchestral committee to be imagining THEIR PART while listening to us play. This includes intonation, and the intonation expected "on the job" NOT playing in tune with a metronome. Mr Morales (I assume that's who you're Blumberging when you write "Ricardo") has a point though, but watch out, you're looking for ways to be better than all the others, right?
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Author: kdk
Date: 2026-10-20 00:10
donald wrote:
> Ron deKant taught us to study the score (when learning
> excerpts), and always know if we were coming in with a note the
> bassoon had just played and details like that.
> As a performer, I've been chastised for playing too softly in
> entries/passages where other musicians had no hope in matching
> me (low notes on oboe etc), tuning on notes where the clarinet
> is dovetailing with flute ("that note will always be flat for
> me") etc
> Mr deKant taught us we should expect an orchestral committee to
> be imagining THEIR PART while listening to us play. This
> includes intonation, and the intonation expected "on the job"
> NOT playing in tune with a metronome.
This is a principle of good ensemble playing, although maybe not what Phillip was asking about in his original post. I think what might be called "expressive tuning" (more in line with the OP) is something that individual players who feel the linear (melodic) pull of the notes they're playing from one to the next tend to do it intuitively and that it's too contextual to be taught in a formal way. We did talk about "tonal magnetism" in my harmony and theory classes, although it was more in the context of voice leading and color in harmonic (chordal) textures.
> Mr Morales (I assume
> that's who you're Blumberging when you write "Ricardo") has a
> point though, but watch out, you're looking for ways to be
> better than all the others, right?
I'm not finding the comment about "Ricardo" you reference here. Whose post is it in?
Karl
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