The late Yehudi Menuhin once said, “The genuine Scottish fiddler has an infallible sense of rhythm, never plays out of tune, and is master of his distinctive and inimitable style”. Well, as a Scot myself, I certainly subscribe to that idea, although I can’t give absolute assurance that my own intonation is that infallible.
Where Does Good Intonation Begin?
Well, before we start slapping fingers down on the fingerboard we need to know that the violin itself must be in tune. Traditionally, we tune to an A at a frequency of 440 Hz. Interestingly, in symphony orchestras, the principal oboe will blow the A to tune the orchestra and will religiously stick to 440.
We string players have a tendency to sneak it up a notch or two for a slightly brighter sound. Don’t tell the oboist! For students practicing at home, you can find A six notes above middle C on the piano. If there is no piano in the house then a simple Google search will take you to a site such as YouTube. There they have a video that will play an A for 10 hours!! My goodness, let’s hope tuning doesn’t take that long.
A Closer Look at the Violin Strings
The four strings on a violin are G, D, A, and E and adjacent strings are separated by an interval known as a perfect 5th. Perfect intervals, which also include the 4th and the octave, have a particularly hollow sound to them.
We can use this quality to finely tune the strings by playing two of them together, for example the A and D. When we hear this hollow sound, with no vibrations or “beating”, then we know we are perfectly in tune. Strings don’t stay in tune forever though, and will alter in pitch after a while. Then, they will need to be retuned. There are other factors that will cause strings to vary in pitch such as temperature and humidity.
Now That We Have Our Violin Perfectly Tuned, How Do We Play in Tune?
That is the $64,000 question. There is only one way to play in tune but, unfortunately, many ways to play out of tune. It takes strict discipline, precise training of the fingers and ears. In fact, you have to hear like a bat. Many teachers will recommend putting dots or tape on the fingerboard so the student can see where to put their fingers. I know that this is an accepted practice by many, but I personally shy away from this method and prefer that the student uses their own ears rather than the visual aid provided by the tapes.
Take it Slow
When practicing the violin, everything we do initially must be done slowly. The great violinist, Itzhak Perlman even has a t-shirt with the words PRACTICE SLOWLY emblazoned on the front. This applies to our intonation too.
Slow everything right down so you can not only hear that you are playing in tune, but you can feel it too. I always encourage my students to close their eyes and get a real sense of where their fingers are. When you land on a note and you can hear it is not perfectly in tune, then you must adjust immediately.
Be careful about how you adjust though. If a finger consistently lands in the wrong place, and you then slide it up or down to make it right, then you stand a chance of actually ingraining this bad habit. Again, practice slowly, to the point where you can actually land on the right note, exactly in tune.
You can also check your intonation with the use of the adjacent open string. For example, a third finger on the A, producing the note D can be checked by playing the open D string and listening for that hollow octave. The practice of playing scales in thirds, sixths, and octaves also helps to improve the accuracy of your intonation.
What Does It Actually Mean to Play In Tune?
Of course, there is often a debate about what is exactly in tune? For example, if we are playing in D major (or minor), then where exactly would you place a C#? I explain to my students that the 7th note in a scale is known as the leading note; it will lead us back to the tonic, in this case D. While I don’t want to encourage them to simply play sharp, I do advise them to at least think on the bright side.
Everything you practice, whether it be concertos, studies, or scales and arpeggios, must be done in tune. Remember, if you practice out of tune, then the danger is, that becomes the norm. In a previous blog, I referred to the old adage that “practice makes perfect”. Never has there been a truer word said than when talking about intonation. Good luck and keep up the good work!
Steve Merson