Tuning

About "Perfect Pitch"

Some people have what is referred to as “perfect pitch”, which is really a very highly refined pitch memory. These people can name notes that they hear, and can often hear even tiny variations in a pitch from the standard A= 440 Hz reference. Perfect pitch can be learned — particularly if you start young, but even older people can develop it with practice.

I happen to think that perfect pitch is overrated. While convenient, it can also be a liability — what is essential is not that you play in tune with a theoretical piano, but with the musicians that surround you! If it annoys you that they are not playing in “perfect pitch”, or you insist on playing “perfectly” while the overall pitch of the ensemble is higher or lower, it is you who will stand out as being out-of-tune.

However, it is good to have a consistent starting point, and a tuner, while not absolutely essential, is a very important and useful tool. Fortunately, there are simple smart phone & tablet apps that are both very inexpensive and do a great job.

Why Use a Tuner?

A tuner is indispensable for understanding:

  1. Where to position your main tuning slide
  2. How the pitch of your instrument changes as it (and you) warm up
  3. The pitch tendencies of specific notes and finger combinations — including alternate fingerings — on your instrument
  4. The way pitch changes in different registers of your instrument
  5. How pitch tends to change on a note between playing loudly and softly
  6. How to correct pitch with your airstream, support, tongue and lips
  7. The effect of various mutes on the overall pitch, and the pitch of specific notes
  8. How your pitch changes as you tire

When and How to use a Tuner

I use a tuner primarily when I am warming up: during mouthpiece buzzing, long tone and pedal tone exercises. I will also occasionally check notes in the course of practicing — particularly solos, such as when I am playing softly in the low register after strenuous high passage, or when using a mute, or when I sense that a note sounds sharp or flat. If the note is consistently wrong, and it seems too much work or too risky to “lip it” into place, I will often choose to use an alternate fingering for the performance.

But I do NOT use a tuner during normal practice. I count on my “internal tuner” — the one that is imagining the accompaniment and chord that I am playing within, and adjusting dynamically to stay in tune with what I hear in my head. 

Good Sound, First, then Pitch

One thing to watch out for: do not stare at the tuner while warming up; your primary focus while warming up should be on your posture and hand position, your embouchure, your breathing and airstream, and on finding the resonant centers of notes. Once you have found the resonant center, check the tuner to see whether that resonant center is higher, lower, or in the center of the proper pitch.

Tune a Warm Instrument

You will notice that, as you warm up, the overall pitch of your instrument will go up — become higher (sharper). This is particularly acute for marching bands and other outdoor performances in cold weather, and is due to the warming of the metal. Make note of how much you have to move your main tuning slide from when the instrument is cold to when it is warm. Many bands start by tuning cold instruments; don’t assume that your instrument will remain in tune as you warm up. One way to mitigate this is to blow warm air through your instrument for several seconds before you tune, and during long rests to keep it warm.