intonation help & understanding

[mick]

Playing: 2 years. Age 12. Competitions ok. Normally score 1, however, intonation received 2 twice. Other catagories 1-1+ What exactly is intonation and how can I improve? I'm lost-is there a difference between tone and intonation? I have a good horn, (Yani A-991)so I'm sure the problem is with me.

[Peterk]

Tone is the quality of your sound. Intonation is your ability to play in tune.
Maybe practice long tones with a good tuner beside you (one that can pick up all the notes...some tuners only catch on A, Bb and thereabouts in one register....you don't want that) so you can see if your notes are sharp or flat and to see how well you hold the note in tune as your air runs down.

[Samthejazzman]

I have been playing a tenor for about 4 years now. The number one thing i noticed is that my sound improved after swimming for a summer. I noticed that my tone was stronger, my lung capacity was much higher, and there was punch behind the tone.

I recommend breathing excercises. After all playing a wind instrument is like singing, you sing with diaphram as do u play. Breathing excersises like breathing in and out long breaths in out, practice. IT will help to develop the muscles in your respiratory system.

I feal that greatly helped me, it will prolly help u to.

[Dave Dolson]

Mick: So many young players suffer from intonation woes. The problem is that they finger a note and blow the horn and figure their work is done. Not so!

That is why so many school bands will see musicians in the audience shifting in their chairs as they hear all the out-of-tune notes being played. I cannot avoid wincing when I hear youngsters playing out of tune. It is an involuntary reaction. That was one of the first things I explained to my grandson when I handed him my Yana 880 alto for beginning band. He got the message.

After sounding the note, the player must ensure that it is spot-on the note - in tune with others playing the same note AND in relation to the other notes preceeding and following the sounded note.

Petrek was correct, especially if YOU can't hear the differences. Buy a good tuner and play with it until you train yourself to bring each note into proper pitch. Good luck! DAVE

[mick]

Why can I do better on the Buescher Aristocrat than on my Yani. I know it's me, but what makes the one blow better for me than the other. My parents won't let me have the Aristocrat until I get older. Sentimental value which I understand. (It's about 60 years old.) I have a tuner I bought with birthday money, I suppose now I should actually use it. (That might actually help.) Do other kids master intonation in a couple years? I practice a lot and I like to play. The Yani is much easier to finger.

[Peterk]

> Do other kids master intonation in a couple years?

It shouldn't take that long. Do 5 minutes of long-tones every day as the first part of your warm-up - stick a metronome on 60 bpm and hold each note for something like 12-20 beats. I start on midlle D and then alternate moving up and down from that note for a half octave on each side. You will see you intonation get better after only a few days and it will improve the rest of your practice in other ways as well.