New Horns and Intonation
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, 08-10-2010 at 06:00 PM (6398 Views)
Over the years I have often answered questions from players who just got a new instrument and are having trouble with intonation. This is especially likely when the old horn was a non-compensating instrument and the new one is compensating. The intonation tendencies can be different (or even opposite) between the two types. A major issue here is habit, which is very handy for some things (like when you practice scales so much that your mind/body system plays almost automatically after a point), but can very much get in the way when you wish to adapt to a new instrument.
When I say adapt I don't mean that you should let the horn play you. You still want to bring forth your own personal concept of sound and music to any horn you play. But you also have to look at the instrument as a partner in your performance. This means you have to be sensitive to the feedback the horn gives you, especially regarding how much air you need to use (and how you need to use it).
For the purpose of this discussion, I'll assume a person is trading in a Yamaha 321 4-valve non-compensating euphonium and purchasing a Willson 2900 or Yamaha 642 or Sterling Virtuoso or Besson Sovereign/Prestige or Adams or Miraphone or [insert name here] 4-valve compensating euphonium. This means moving from a small-shank mouthpiece receiver to a large-shank version (except for the middle-size shank on some Willsons); from a horn with one type of intonation tendencies to one with much different tendencies; and from a horn with a .570 bore to one with a bore around .592. The new horn may also have a bell diameter that is 5-10% greater.
I usually recommend not changing mouthpieces at the same time you are getting used to a new horn, other than getting one with the proper shank size. Introducing too many variable at once can cause trouble. Even if the old mouthpiece is not the best choice for a larger horn, wait until you are used to the new horn before changing mouthpiece.
The larger horns require more air, and that may tempt your body to compensate in ways that are not beneficial. Don't get too ambitious at first. Get used to the instrument. Use enough air to give you a round, warm sound. Build up to the high range a bit slowly.
Non-compensating horns like the Yamaha 321 have very different tuning characteristics even when not in the compensating range. On some notes they may have opposite tendencies compared to a compensating horn. Without a thoughtful adjustment period, you may become discouraged at the feel of the new horn.
Mostly you need to break your old habits. Following a process similar to the one described below might help.
As you work with the tuner, first make sure you are tuned properly on a middle B-flat. (I will use concert pitch to discuss the process.) Follow these steps:
1. Get a reasonable warm up, so your chops are comfortable AND your horn is up to normal playing temperature.
2. Push the main tuning slide all the way in.
3. Play your middle B-flat with your eyes closed and with good air support. Then bend the pitch up and down over and over. As you do this, listen to where in that bending process the note seems most resonant and round. That helps you find where the horn's pitch truly is, rather than where your chops expected it to be. It also helps to "destroy" your internal pitch memory so you don't blow the note one way or the other because your brain wants to hear it there.
4. Open your eyes while you are playing the center of the B-flat. I assume you will be sharp (because your slide is all the way in). Pull the slide out a bit, and repeat step 3. Do this until you are in tune.
5. Use steps 3 & 4 on other notes. This will probably tell you where they are.
(6). As you go through the testing process, the horn's temperature will probably increase, which will cause the overall pitch to get higher. So after tuning a few notes, go back and check your B-flat again using steps 3 & 4. Keep doing this to make sure you don't drift.
Be sure to keep good air support through all this. And keep a good round tone.
Most players on compensating horns pull the first valve slide a quarter inch or so. This helps with the G. Many people pull the 3rd slide out as well. That would help tune the normally-sharp 2&3 combination. But the other choice is to adjust the 3rd slide so that your G is in tune using 3rd valve alone. That will give you a very nice G (but doesn't help the F#).
The upper F, E, and E-flat are usually sharp. They require a bit of lipping down on compensating horns, often times more than was required on your old instrument.
Even if the new horn has a trigger, I would suggest not using it to tune these notes for now. You are not used to the instrument yet, and you want to be sure you are playing it up to its abilities before you start using the trigger.
It's a big adjustment going from your old horn to a new one. When I started college I switched from a bell-front King (.560 bore, non compensating) to a Besson (.580 bore, compensating). It was a major adjustment and took me a few months or more to get used to it. In the examples above, the switch is from a .570 bore to a .592 bore, so the difference is about as great.
Just don't try to make everything work at once. It takes a while to get used to blowing a new horn. Certainly for the first six months or so you will want to check your tuning fairly often. Even after that, revisit the tuner on a regular basis for a formal tuning session. But also use the tuner now and then as part of regular practice. As you are practicing a solo or exercise, leave the tuner running on your music stand. You may be surprised at the way the context of a note may affect its tuning. I have found notes that line up well in a tuning session, but are quite different in certain contexts. If you approach a note from a long interval above or below, your chops may overshoot a bit - not enough to cause you to miss the note, but enough to throw it sharp or flat.