Can You Tune Up My Horn? (and Other Endearing Fallacies)

September 9, 2022

Can You Tune Up My Horn and Other Enduring Fallacies

What do you mean, "Fallacy"? 

My band director tuned me just this morning in band! I'm good to go!


I suppose my subject title could be summed up with this age-old musician joke...

Student:"How can I tell if I'm out of tune?"

Teacher: "That's easy. You're out of tune the instant you stop listening!"


Tuning your instrument to one note using an electronic tuning device is a good starting point, but that's all it is. The rest is up to You. 

At best, intonation is relative. It is dynamic phenomenon, not static or fixed. Surprise!


An individual musician's "intonation" is relative to many factors, starting with the other instruments you're playing with. It can also be relative to the part of the chord you are playing, and sometimes overall intonation is affected by changes in barometric pressure. You may even be surrounded by players who are all "sharp" or "flat" together. In this case, they are in tune, and you have to adjust. In other words, when it comes to good intonation there is no right or wrong, there is only "in tune" or "out of tune".


Have you ever played a duet with someone and heard a buzzing sound in your ears? When I was a kid, my sister and I would play flute duets, and we would hear that buzzing sound in our ears on every single note we played! It would drive us crazy, but my mom would tell us that it meant we were perfectly in tune. As counterintuitive as that felt to me, I would later learn that not only is that true, it also makes for some pretty interesting phenomena. 


That buzzing tone is sometimes referred to as a "difference tone". Flute players & trombone players can easily create a difference tone by playing one note on their instrument while humming a second tone, producing a third tone that is audible to everyone! Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull famously sang and played his flute simultaneously to create his signature sound.


But back to playing your own instrument in tune! Your ability to maintain good intonation is a specific skill that can be developed and honed over time through constant and diligent listening. 


Are You listening??

Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain

By Shelley Martin • February 3, 2023
How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain!

Your Brain Doesn't Know The Difference

By John Varnedore • July 18, 2022
Your Brain doesn't know the Difference What if I told you that you can achieve results from practicing the piano without playing the piano? Or that you could work out that technical passage in your clarinet music without the distraction of hearing the mistakes? This isn't news to more advanced musicians, but it is still a fascinating phenomenon. Remember, our knowledge of the brain is still in its infancy - we are constantly amazed with new discoveries of how the brain functions. When we practice, we are building pathways from our brains to our fingers. This is referred to as "muscle memory", and we know that repetition is the path to mastery in any field of study. But as I sometimes joke with my students, that doesn't mean we must punish our ears relentlessly along the way! Aural feedback is emportant - it is arguably the most effective motivation to practice and improve - but I'm simply suggesting that, as hard as it is to imagine, we can make technical progress without making a sound. This isn't about left brain/right brain function, "imagining" or "manifestation" results (although those aspects have their own rewards), what I'm taking about are scientifically documented, proven neurological pathways that any of us can develop. You can do this anywhere, anytime, with or without printed music, in the waiting room of a doctor's office, on a long roadtrip, even on your way to your piano lesson! (Do not attempt while driving, lol.) Say you are having trouble with a particular fingering passage in a song. It can actually be more frustrating and distracting to have to repeatedly hear the mistake as you are making! And perhaps this is a passage that is going to take a little more time than you can devote in a single practice session. What has been discovered is that when you move your fingers in the correct order and rhythm, your brain is recording it and reprogramming the muscle memory, just as if you were Actually Playing the notes on a Piano! Your brain doesn't know the difference! I call this method "silent practicing", "no prisoners practicing", (and sometimes, in lessons, "no punishment practicing"!) It might not be your first choice, but what have you got to lose, other than a few wrong notes?
Share by: