- by Douglas Burden, Ottawa -- originally published in Jan-Feb-Mar 2001 issue of THEME


A friend recently wrote me to say that he had been challenged by one of his band members as to the purpose of tuning a brass band. My friend usually uses an electric tuner in order to establish a focal point for intonation, to stress the importance of playing in tune, and to help individuals realise where their tuning slides should be. His band member felt that intonation is better accomplished by listening to each other, playing hymn tunes and stopping and building up chords through the band. He believed a tuner is of no use to a brass band and that placing a note in context (G A B C) is not a good idea because it places emphasis on the first note and not the last one, the one that should be in tune.

This is a subject I feel very strongly about. This individual reflects an attitude that is so prevalent in S.A. music-making circles. "A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing" is an understatement when it comes to the subject of intonation. I'm not sure whether it's pride or arrogance or insecurity in one's own lack of knowledge that fosters this cavalier approach. It is often an attitude that is learned and encouraged by closed minds. I would like to share with you some of my own background and experience as a S.A.-trained young brass player who has had to unlearn many misconceptions related to intonation.

Ask any S.A. bandperson to define tuning and intonation, and nine out of ten will agree that they are synonymous with each other. Yet they are really two very different, though connected, musical subjects. Tuning is what you have to do physically to change the pitch of your instrument; in our case, changing the length of tubing on a brass instrument, which usually means adjusting the placement of the main tuning slide. It also refers to adjusting each valve slide and the use of the first and third valve "triggers". Intonation refers to how our inner ear tells us whether we are "in tune" or not. Developing that awareness and using our inner ear is a musical skill, which is at the heart of all good music making. Listen, listen, listen.

Each pitch resonates at a specific number of vibrations per second, and relates to other pitches in a very systematic and measurable way. If you take a particular pitch and double its frequency (number of vibrations per second or Hertz), the resulting sounding pitch is exactly one octave higher than the original. The same original pitch, if you half its frequency, sounds one octave lower. This seems simplistic but it reminds us how much we are governed by the laws of physics when dealing with sound. Hopefully musicians will produce a "musical" sound and not just noise.

When you sing or play by yourself, you can place the original pitch anywhere you want and relate all other pitches to that frequency. For example, when a S.A. congregation sings a chorus acapella, many individuals will choose to sing harmony according to the predominant pitch that started the singing. This relative harmony works perfectly because we are using our ears as well as an incredibly flexible instrument known as vocal chords to make the minor intonation adjustments needed. A jarring reality happens when a pianist is added to the mix. Our acapella choir could be perfectly in tune with itself, but juxtaposed with a piano's arbitrary pitches, the two pitch centres may be close but not in tune. The resulting interference of pitches is like scraping fingernails across a chalkboard. Usually the acapella choir will adjust to the pitch of the piano. Why? Because the piano cannot tune to them!

So why do we tune a piano or any other instrument? Because pitch is relative. To make things easier, an arbitrary standard was imposed on musical instruments as to where to start this point of relativity. In Ottawa and most of North America, most musicians agree that the starting point is A on a piano, which happens to be 440 Hertz or 440 vibrations per second. The Montreal Symphony uses 442 Hertz as their standard. The Berlin Philharmonic adjusts to 446 Hertz. These arbitrary standards are usually chosen to produce a "brighter" or "darker" sound. That is why tuners can be calibrated or changed to the standard of the geographic area or to a specific ensemble.

Having chosen a standard (and for our purposes we will choose 440 Hz), where then do all the other pitches go? Simplistically stated there are two choices: equal temperament or relative temperament. Equal temperament is taking an octave and dividing it into exactly 12 equal distances corresponding to the 12 semitones that encompass an octave. This is the mathematician's compromise (thank your lucky stars that we play western music where the smallest interval is a semitone, and not eastern music where quartertones and microtones are the norm). This equal temperament is the method or scale of temperament used for modern day piano and keyboard tuning. It is basically a compromise to allow every key or pitch centre to be equally out of tune to the same degree.

Relative temperament, which is employed by instrumentalists (and keyboard players prior to the time of J.S. Bach), places each pitch (or note) at a relative distance from the tonic. The resulting interaction of the sound waves produced by each pitch does not produce interference patterns or "beats". The sounds resonate and do not interfere with each other. This is where your ears become the arbitrators. In other words, you need to know where and to whom to listen, recognising where the tonic is located, and realising what scale degree you are playing.

As instrumentalists, we now know that we should aspire towards relative intonation. How do we produce this with our instruments? The laws of physics again come into play. Prior to my last 28 years as a professional trombonist, I spent six years playing cornet and trumpet before switching to the "perfect" instrument, and so I have first-hand experience in understanding the problems inherent with valved instruments. These valve problems can be overcome with knowledge and practice. My colleagues in the National Arts Centre Orchestra do it all the time.

Here I will quote from an article entitled Intonation Problems of the Euphonium, by Royce Lumpkin, and published in the Brass Anthology (1987) of The Instrumentalist magazine. The problems and solutions presented can be applied to all valved brass instruments.

"In designing an instrument, the maker has to decide how sharp he can allow a given note to be, realising that if he lowers it any more he will make some other notes too flat. Problems of this type fall into two categories: (1) natural overtone discrepancies; and (2) valve combination discrepancies.

In addition to these "hard facts" dealing with the actual imperfect design of brass instruments and the laws of physics, there are a myriad of variables which come into play when an individual attempts to play his instrument in tune. These include:

Temperature - All brass instruments sharpen as the temperature rises. That is why summer camp bands play very sharply unless corrected by a tuning standard (the tuner). As the temperature lowers the pitch gets flatter. This can happen out-of-doors or in an air-conditioned room, particularly if you are resting for an extended period of time before playing with others who have played continuously.

Buzz - If you are buzzing a pitch into your mouthpiece that is slightly lower or higher than the valve combination selected, you run interference with the instrument's pitch. This results in very poor sound and resonance as well as poor pitch. Unfortunately, there is no tuner designed to tell you if you are "in or out of tone".

Wind Speed - The relative velocity of your wind (moving air) will affect pitch. The faster velocity results in a higher pitch and the slower changing speed results in flatness, unless compensation takes place in the embouchure's buzz. This compensation or change of the aperture has to occur while making a crescendo or diminuendo to avert sharp or flat playing.

Mouthpiece Design - The same instrument played by different mouthpieces will tune differently, the cup volume being the primary deciding factor.  In this case the bigger the cup, the lower the pitch and vice versa.

Personal Practise - If one does not practise regularly or effectively, the muscles of the embouchure tire quickly resulting in tight, tense, and sharp playing. Pressing the mouthpiece onto the lips as a stop-gap measure only raises the pitch even more.

"Loudest is Rightest" - This concept of intonation is particularly prevalent in amateur brass players. "Tune to the loudest player regardless of the pitch" is a motto espoused by many. 

"Tune to the Solo Cornets" - It only stands to reason. They have the toughest job so they have to be in tune!

For each of the reasons listed above, and more, you need a tuning standard to which everyone can adjust.  A tuner is an aid, not a silver bullet.  A metronome is an aid that will not necessarily make everyone play in time, but it will point out if one is rushing or dragging.  A tuner will not make you play in tune, but it will tell you at given moments whether you are playing sharp, flat, or in tune.  Awareness and practise with a tuner and metronome will improve these two important musical skills.  A tuner allows for a point of departure as well as a reference point.

Continue to "Tuning a Band Part Two"