Troubleshooting: Tuning

Playing in tune is a skill that all instrumentalists work on, at every level. There is infinite room for improvement; it takes great skill and control to place pitches exactly where you want, and even to hear exactly where they should be. Great ears take years to develop, though, and we all have to start somewhere!

Beginning players often find that they are flat, especially in the higher ranges of the instrument. There are a number of common reasons for this, ranging from very basic to quite complex. They are all worth checking for yourself.

1. Your instrument might not be pushed together all the way. Use cork grease on all the joints, and push them together until they are fitted snugly.

2. Your reed may be too soft. Once a student has been playing for a few months, I try to move them up to at least a Rico 2 1/2, or a Vandoren 2. If you can comfortably play a Vandoren 2 1/2, that would be a good strength of reed to use for your first couple of years. As an experiment, you can try moving the reed a bit higher on the mouthpiece, so that it is even with the mouthpiece tip, or even above it. If this helps, you need a harder reed.

3. You may not be supporting the sound fully with your air. Play at a solid volume, and push air actively through the instrument with your abdominals. It can also help to visualize using ‘fast’ or ‘cold’ air; to give an example, if you are blowing hard on a spoonful of soup to cool it down you are using fast and cold air. In contrast, if you breathe slowly on a mirror or window to fog it up, you are using slow, warm air.

4. You also may not be supporting the sound enough with your embouchure. Check that you are playing with a high tongue position (as if saying, ‘eeeee’), that the corners of your mouth are pulled back and in, your upper lip is closing firmly on the mouthpiece, your upper teeth are firmly pressed against the mouthpiece, and your chin is flat and pointed. A good teacher can help you check and adjust all of the above variables, and you can also have a good look in the mirror while playing your long tones.

Tuning can be practiced by playing with a tuner, piano or recording; it can also be developed by simply playing intervals and listening for consonance (octaves or fifths are easiest to hear). Beginners should start by simply playing long tones with their tuner, and working to keep the pitch steady. You can then progress to attempting to control the pitch, moving it sharper or flatter.