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Lately i have been having really bad tuning problems in front of the tuner, especially with my Eb and D concert notes in the staff....i will tune my Bb high and low and all the other notes within the staff .......but those two are about 20 cents flat every single time and if i lip it up to dead on, im practically lipping up so much i hit the next note.......Im also going sharp on my higher range but i can fix that......I under stand that my student model may have inferior intonation lol but any advice would be nice. I just hope i can fix this and/or have better intonation quality with my new horn. .........................................Im on a Euphonium BC btw lol.

a big reason that people have intonation problems is because they read the tuner. IMHO i believe a tuner is not for the player to read but for someone else to read for the player reason being is that as a player we play a note into a tuner and then you will notice the note start moving right in tune so you thing theres no tuning problems. what is happening is that the player is bending the pitch using airspeed and embouchure changes without realizing it. have someone sitting next to you before a rehearsal tune you and dont look at the tuner.

Agreed. You need to learn how to play with a group without relying on an electronic tuner. It's similar in function to a fever thermometer. If I'm feeling sick, I don't keep the glass tube in my mouth all day!

What you need to do, if you don't have a tuning buddy:

1) Turn your tuner on
2) Look away from tuner (without moving head)
3) Play note until you find it center- the point where the pitch resonates the best
4) Look back at your tuner to see where your pitch is

Trying to adjust or find your pitch while looking at the tuner is not a good way of going about it. You should worry about the note (the air especially) before worrying about the pitch.

A lot of people play their notes while tuning half-heartedly - at a soft volume and with poor air support, since all they are worrying about is playing in tune with the tuner.

Some people pick a melody and then stop at the note they wish to tune. This way, they are able to play the note in context and check the intonation in context.

Another good way of tuning is with a piano. Use one hand on the piano (and use the pedal to sustain) and play a note. Don't necessarily play the pitch you are tuning - pick a different octave. Also try playing two or more notes on the piano and play your note to complete the chord.

For example play a Bb and an F on the piano, then play your problematic D (3rd). Try again with an F# and an A on the piano, then play your D (root). Then play a G and a B on the piano, play your D (5th). Then play an E, G# and a B on the piano and add your D (flat 7th).

When you play with other people you need to tune by listening (not by looking at a tuner) so playing with the piano will help your intonation-identification by ear skill.

Also, try learning how to play intervals in tune, not just notes. Do a lot of octaves and fifths - they are the easiest intervals to spot faulty intonation.

Best of Luck!

I like tuners

WoodSheddin wrote:I like tuners

I am with Sean, in that we need to put our anti tuner bias in perspective. Of sourse, we shouldn't see a tuner on every music stand in the NYPO. Conversely, telling a student in the middle to high school (or even early college) ages that "tuners are evil, use your ear" may not be sufficient. I sat next to a student a couple weeks ago who got a pretty good sound out of his horn and bragged about his intonation. However, I heard a few odd notes and it sounded like he was consistently playing some notes wrong. After the rehearsal we tried matching pitches; his open notes were good but his 23 combinations against mine sounded like Charlie Ives on a bad day. Turns out his third slide was out almost a foot!! Once we pushed it in with only about 3/4" out, the pitches matched. If his "golden ear" had really lived up to his expectations, he probably would have noticed that two hours earlier.

P.S. I have taught a number of high school trombone students and occassional workouts with a tuner do their slide placement wonders.

I like tuners so much I even bought aa EXPENSIVE one.
(Had a cheap electronic tuner/metronome combination before. It sucked because it would inadvertently switch from Metronome to tuning mode by itself. In tuning mode, it won´t pick up notes lower than, say, AAb)

If your tuba is the only sound source you feel you want to rely on as a pitch source in your range, you WILL get used to minor quirks and learn to accept those as THE norm. (I did). That is, you´ll decalibrate the "tuner in your mind" and may end up thinking a third played with one note 20 cents off sounds perfect.

Not everyone has an electronic keyboard at their disposal to REcalibrate their ears time and again.