Instrument Tuning

Why Is It Important? Playing in tune is not an easy skill to learn, but it is vital to being a good musician.

No one will respect you as a musician (or even want to listen to your performance) unless you can play or sing in tune.In order to really appreciate and improve as a musician you have to understand a little about the physics of sound. Playing in tune and learning to tune your instrument whether it be a guitar, clarinet, trumpet, or even a drum can be one of the most frustrating parts of the craft. Tuning an instrument requires that you adjust the tuning mechanisms on it to an accepted standard frequency. For most of the world this frequency is called A=440. This means that when playing the note A your instrument will produce sound waves that vibrate perfectly at 440 vibrations per second. If your instrument is tuned to a higher frequency you will play "sharp," or sound slightly higher than it should. If it is tuned to a lower frequency it will be "flat."To tune your instrument properly you can either rely on your ear (not recommended) or you can use an electronic tuner. Electronic tuners come in all sizes from small pocket size models to large desktop models that have many advanced features.

Tuning using an electronic tuner is very easy. Simply play the note you wish to tune and a meter on the device will tell you if you are sharp (above the pitch) or flat (below the pitch). Adjust the tuning screws on your guitar or the tuning barrel or slide on your wind instrument until the tuner says you are perfectly in tune.To find out why tuning is so important we again return to the physics of sound. When two sound waves are perfectly in tune and vibrating at the same frequency they compliment each other. The two tones actually reinforce each other and produce a warmer, more solid sound. When two instruments are not in tune those same sound waves collide and occasionally cancel each other out resulting in what most people describe as "beats" in the sound. The easiest way to visualize this is to imagine two identical ocean waves that are exactly alike. Stacked on top of each other they appear to be just one wave, but if you stretch one of them even slightly (make in flatter) you will notice that the waves no longer line up and instead begin to run into each other. Every collision causes a disturbance in the sound and partially cancels the wave. These collisions are what cause the audible "beats" when two notes are not exactly in tune.

In a band or ensemble this can be distracting or even destructive to the performance. We have all heard bands or singers (usually at the local karaoke club) that sound absolutely horrible. Usually this is because they are not singing or playing their instrument in perfect tune with the other musicians in the group. Being a better musician begins with understanding everything there is to know about your instrument including how to play in tune. How to tune that instrument and how various conditions affect that tuning are the first step to becoming a great musician.

Regardless of the instrument (or voice) you must be able to play in tune if you ever want to have any kind of a following. So many beginning musicians hurt themselves (and those that listen to them) by not taking the time to tune properly. This lack of proper tuning, over time, makes the performer believe that they sound good even when in reality they are horribly out of tune. If you want to be a better musician and play music that people actually want to hear you must take the time to learn how to play in tune.For more information about playing in an ensemble with good intonation please visit the article Tuning and Intonation For Your Band.
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