John Dutton wrote: > Some useful ways to use a tuner: > 1) Set the tuner to an arbitrary note-say middle C (C4). Close your eyes > and -hey you there...stop peeking- play our horn 2nd line G in the treble > clef. Play it until you get it the most <centered> and beautiful tone you > can produce. Now open your eyes and see what the metronome says in the > split second before your eyes tune the note to be with the tuner. A useful variation on that is to work with a second person - preferably a teacher or other musically knowledgeable person, but it doesn't take long to explain even to a civilian what's needed. Play with your eyes closed, center the pitch, and have that person tell you where it reads on the tuner. That likewise eliminates the biofeedback that causes you to center the needle as you play, and provides a much more reliable measure of where the pitch actually is.
I use a tuner mostly to get an instrument in tune with itself. I currently have about 15 horns, a handful of trumpets and cornets, and a couple of flugelhorns. (It's a sickness, I know.) Each one has its own personality, and each one had a slightly different idea of what pressing a given valve should do. Once the instrument is as internally consistent as it can be gotten by pulling slides and checking the results with a tuner, it's a lot easier to play in tune with an ensemble. _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
