Improving Intonation

To put it simply, playing a string instrument in tune has two steps:

1. Put your finger in the right place, and

2. Adjust the fingertip so that the note is perfectly in tune with the other players in the ensemble, or the other notes in a chord. 

Of course, it's not as easy as it sounds, but it is very possible for students to put their fingers in the right place AND fine tune their notes to the people around them--as long as the students have the left hand skills that their music requires. If the music is too difficult--ie the student has not learned the left hand skills required of the music--they simply won't be able to play in tune. So it falls on us to teach the skills listed below, and then select music that the students are capable of playing well. It also falls on us to remind students religiously to pay attention and play in tune. Students will play as poorly as their teachers allow, and they will not play truly in tune unless their teachers give them no other choice.

Each of the two steps listed above has a few technical aspects to consider. It is important for us teachers to

1. Require FLAWLESS left hand and instrument position from every student.  Use daily games, calisthenics, and constant assessment to eliminate position problems that make playing in tune more difficult than it already is.  Develop a large and varied arsenal of strategies for remedying the myriad ailments classroom teachers face on a daily basis.

2. Make sure every student’s strings are perfectly in tune. Take the time to make sure every child’s instrument is in tune at the beginning of class. Use the bow to tune student instruments; we would do no less for ourselves before rehearsing in an adult orchestra.  Kids have no chance for learning to play in tune, unless teachers insist that their student’s strings are correct. Good strings and fine tuners also make a difference.

3. Improve everyone’s awareness of the key and its leading tones.  Make sure students know how to read a key signature, to know when notes are sharp, flat, or natural. Become exceptionally aware of the leading tones—BOTH the 7th and 4th scale degrees—where intonation problems and wrong notes occur most frequently.  In major modes, keep the 4th degree low, and the 7th high; tell the students “When it’s the 4th down, drink 7-Up.” 

4. Improve everyone’s awareness of finger patterns. Use scales, tetrachords, and tetrachord etudes to develop finger strength and finger pattern awareness.  Where appropriate, discuss string crossings, shifting and fingerings that may challenge or promote accurate intonation.

5. Tuning to others. Frequently have students compare their pitches to open strings or to the notes of another section.  Have them “play softer, and listen more.” Use pedal tones—like a classroom tuner or the strings of idle students—to play the root of the chord or the key while students slowly play a passage, one note at a time if necessary, to check intonation.

6. Tone. Teach students to hear the relationship between tone and pitch. It's easier to tune when the note's tone is clean, and not over powered.  Encourage students to play softer than the note they are tuning to. In advanced groups, it may be helpful, even necessary to stop all vibrato while fine tuning the ensemble.