Intonation

What is intonation?

Intonation is sometimes confused with tone, but they are two different elements of violin playing. Intonation refers to the pitch of the notes (ie how high or low the notes are); tone refers to sound quality. Intonation is controlled by the placement of the left-hand fingers, and tone is controlled by the bow (right) hand.

Why is intonation important?

Intonation is important for the overall quality of the piece. If notes are “out of tune” then the piece will not sound how it’s supposed to. Additionally, intonation becomes even more important when playing with others. If one (or more) parties are out of tune, the notes will not sound harmonious when played together and may clash.

How do I improve my intonation?

1. Listen to music often! In order to develop intonation, the ear must also be developed. Think about it this way: how can you fix the intonation if you don’t realize you’re out of tune in the first place?! There is a subtle difference between notes that are in tune and notes that are out of tune, so recognizing these slight differences in pitch is vital for correcting them.

2. Practice with a tuner. This is a great practice technique, especially for beginner players whose ears may not be developed yet. The tuner will tell you if the notes are in tune and if you’re playing the correct note! To practice with a tuner, turn the tuner on and play a note. The tuner will have three lights: one green and two red. The object is to make the light turn green. If the red light on the left lights up, the note is too low, and if the red light on the right lights up, the note is too high. Adjust the finger placement accordingly. There are many tuners and tuner apps available but I use a Korg.

3. Check with open strings. This practice technique is slightly more advanced because the player must be able to recognize the same note in different octaves (higher and lower). To check with open strings, play a passage, and any time you play a note that corresponds with an open string (G, D, A, or E), play that open string to see if the pitches match.

4. Listen for the resonance of the instrument. The notes that correspond with the open strings (G, D, A, and E) will make the violin ring, or resonate. Play the note G (third finger on the D string). Notice that when the note is in tune, it keeps sounding even after the bow has stopped. That is resonance!

5. Practice with a drone. This is one of my favorite intonation practice techniques because it works even when I think it’s not! Almost like magic 😉 To practice with a drone, make your tuner play out the tonic of the key of the passage you’re working on. If the passage is in A Major the tuner should be set on A, if the passage is in F minor the tuner should be set on F, and so on. Then tune all of your notes to that drone. Each note beside the 2nd and the 7th (notes that are either a half or whole step away from the tonic) will sound harmonious with the drone. Check out this video for an example of how the notes should mesh with the drone.

6. Practice in double stops. This is the most advanced technique of all because it requires the player to be comfortable with playing double stops and able to recognize when the double stops are out of tune. To practice in double stops, keep your fingers down as much as possible and play as many combinations of double stops as possible, including those with open strings.

   Watch the video below for a demonstration of each of these practice techniques.

   What’s your favorite way to practice intonation? Leave a comment below!