Maine Motif Issue 2, Vol. II (Winter, 2018) | Page 24

• Philosophies Consistency is key In tone = in tune Believe and live in “The Gospel According to Concert F.” Tune with your ears, not your eyes! Listen for the waves and adjust often. You are ALWAYS tuning! Use a tuner to “see” what in tune looks like then eventually move off the tuner to “hear” what in tune is. Refer back to the tuner periodically so students can see and hear if they are correct. • Phrases/Analogies “Fit inside” the instruments bigger than you. Tone-ing before tuning. Intonation is like BO; everyone has issues, most people take care of it. Listen, assume it’s you, adjust, listen more. Being out of tune is exactly like playing a wrong note. It’s an error. Being out of tune is like standing in the mud in your wedding dress. Disappear into your neighbor’s sound. Does it sound good? If not, then try something different. Eliminate the waves. In tone is in-tune. Find the “sweet spot”. Find the center, play to the center, match pitch, get rid of the waves. Good balance hides intonation issues. If you hear waves, you are out of tune.  Adjust. If the waves get worse, you went the wrong way. Know what sound is coming next. Layer how you think about intonation — first you, then you within the section, then your section within the band. “Listen down” or “listen back” to the low brass/tubas. Listen for someone three seats away from you and fit inside their sound. Listen for the waves. Waves disappear, you’re in tune. Waves get faster, do the opposite. This isn’t the ocean, there’s not supposed to be waves. Play to hear others, do not play to hear yourself. Tune it before you get to it. • Activities Holding from the bottom up, section at a time, until it’s in tune.