Improving Intonation Skills Book 1

Electronic tuners have become required accessories for today's music students to own, but little is said about how to actually use them.  A tuner can be an incredibly useful tool, and the purpose of this book is to show you how to use one effectively. Simply owning a tuner is not enough, and checking the pitch of a note here and there won't help you learn to play with good intonation.  The 8 exercises described in this booklet show you how to make use of an electronic tuner in your daily musical practice so you can develop better control of your tone and intonation, regardless of whether you play a wind or string instrument. You'll begin by 'Charting Your Pitch Tendencies,' an exercise that many have already done after reading about it on this site or after attending a class with me.  You'll then move on to learning how to use a tuner to monitor pitch inconsistencies, identify weaknesses in technique, and make your playing sound better overall.

Electronic tuners have become required accessories for today's music students to own, but little is said about how to actually use them.  A tuner can be an incredibly useful tool, and the purpose of this book is to show you how to use one effectively. Simply owning a tuner is not enough, and checking the pitch of a note here and there won't help you learn to play with good intonation.  The 8 exercises described in this booklet show you how to make use of an electronic tuner in your daily musical practice so you can develop better control of your tone and intonation, regardless of whether you play a wind or string instrument. You'll begin by 'Charting Your Pitch Tendencies,' an exercise that many have already done after reading about it on this site or after attending a class with me.  You'll then move on to learning how to use a tuner to monitor pitch inconsistencies, identify weaknesses in technique, and make your playing sound better overall.

Deanna Mathews Kilbourne is a flutist and writer living in Urbana, IL. She manages a private teaching studio and publishes the blog PracticingFlutist.com. She has given many presentations at conventions and masterclasses on practicing techniques, specializing in improving tone and intonation. Ms. Kilbourne is also the founder/owner of ArtsinLetters.com, a business centered around historical letters written by famous creators in the Arts and Sciences.