Actually, not tuning to the piano (or the organ, for that matter) is just a matter of routine at this point, at least in this situation. I don’t usually think about it all that much, but for some reason, I got really paranoid at the last minute — maybe because the piece I was playing started on a written 4th space E-natural. Everything worked out fine, as it usually does, but it got me thinking about the whole concept of intonation and tuning.

I actually wanted to start this entry with this cool picture I was going to draw in Inkscape — a stick figure saxophonist with his alto in playing position and a clear image of the mouthpiece. The idea was to label the part that is most important in determining whether a performance will be in tune. Well, the drawing didn’t … exactly …. ummm … well, I couldn’t decide if it looked more like one of my 3-year old’s drawings or a floating head smoking a crack pipe, as drawn by someone smoking a crack pipe. The point of that exercise is still good, though (even if my artistic ability leaves much to be desired….).  Most amateur and many developing saxophonists would go straight to the mouthpiece, specifically identifying the position of the mouthpiece on the neck/bocal. While it isn’t a bad thing (nor an unimportant step) to be concerned about the position of the mouthpiece on the neck, that’s really only a small step taken towards playing in tune.

Playing in tune isn’t ultimately about any physical step, nor any adjustment to the instrument. Yes, the mouthpiece needs to be adjusted to a point that allows the instrument to be close enough in terms of pitch to whatever other instruments are in an ensemble. (In fact, all instruments are designed to play with a pre-determined tube length, and if the length varies too significantly from the design of the instrument, it will be difficult if not impossible to even play in tune with yourself!) It’s also important that the instrument is warmed up to playing temperature (more on that when I talk about playing with a pipe organ!).

I’ve seen/heard/been told about the importance of learning to adjust the embouchure and oral cavity in relationship to intonation. Another incredibly important skill that needs to be mastered to play in tune. Use of a tuner is another technique that is frequently brought up in relation to intonation.

So, you’ve now adjusted your mouthpiece after dutifully paying homage to concert A (or B-flat, or whatever), learned how to manipulate the pitch with your embouchure, and you can make the needle on your nifty digital tuner move to what it says is dead-on pitch. You’re all set! Great! I wish it worked that way.

Going back to my floating-head-smoking-a-crack-pipe idea … had it worked, the goal would have been to point to the head (I know, you could argue for the ears, but the ears are just the means for getting the sound to the brain … at least for my purposes here.) My belief is that really good intonation ultimately depends on your internal concept of pitch. You MUST be able to hear and almost instantly adjust, and beyond hearing, you have to internalize pitch to the point that you are able to hear the next interval BEFORE you play it. The goal is to be able to hear when you are out of tune with yourself, even when there are no other instruments, and the tuner is nowhere to be found. There are a number of strategies you can use to develop this ability that I’ll save for  later post, but the key for me has been (shudder!) singing. Yes, Virginia, there is a point to sight-singing … and ear training, neither of which can really be isolated as a single skill (at least in my book).

So, back to not bothering with checking my intonation before I play in church … not something I’d recommend in most circumstances. I don’t want anyone to read this and think I’m saying not tuning up before a performance is a best practice. Remember, in the church situation I described, I perform with the same piano week after week after week. I know about where my mouthpiece should be placed, and if  I’m off a bit, either because I didn’t get the mouthpiece in quite the right spot or because the pitch level of the piano has changed slightly, I know how to adjust my embouchure and/or airstream to compensate until I can re-position the mouthpiece. I’m also handicapped in that, because of my other responsibilities during the service, I don’t have a chance to warm my instrument up at all, so even if I did “tune up”, I’d just be out of tune 30 seconds after I start. I also play with a pipe organ a LOT. That’s an entirely different ball-game worthy of it’s own post. Bottom line, it is best to tune, but always remember that tuning one or two notes (and maybe their octaves) does not mean intonation can be set aside for the rest of the performance. Concentrate, listen, adjust! More to come…