What does it mean to be in tune? That seems pretty obvious right? Just get out your tuner and play a note. If your not flat or sharp then you’re in tune. Easy. Done. But perhaps that’s not all there is to it. Maybe you’d like to play with an ensemble or even just one other person. So let’s make that a simple example. Two clarinet players working on a duet.
Let’s say for the sake of argument that when you play with a tuner, every note you play is right on. Now let’s say that the person you’re playing with is flat. Not just that, they are consistently flat and they’re so stubborn that they insist that they’re right. What do you do? Obviously you have to adjust your playing so that you match the other person. But, now you’re no longer in tune with the tuner. On the other hand now you’re actually playing correctly because you match what your partner is doing. Let’s take this further.
We’ll have the same two people as before (you and a stubborn partner) but now we’ll add a twist. Now when the other person plays they’re only flat some of the time. The rest of the time they’re sharp. So now not only do you have to adjust your intonation up and down, you have to constantly listen to figure out which way to go.
Getting the picture? Intonation depends on a huge number of factors – the number of people playing, the harmony being played, dynamics, balance, the range of the instrument you’re in, and so on. Intonation is not, not, not about putting the needle of a tuner right in the center. It’s about having the control to put the needle of a tuner exactly where you want it at a moments notice. The way to do that is to become intimately familiar with the tendencies of the instrument you’re playing. Not just The Clarinet, but your clarinet. Try a simple exercise. Play a chalumeau, throat tone, clarion, and altissimo G one right after the other. Now do the same thing but use a tuner. Try the exercise twice – once while looking at the tuner the whole time. The next time only look at the tuner after you’ve started the note. Is there a difference? Try the exercise many times and see if there’s a pattern to the way the notes are in or out of tune. Obviously you can do this on any note, but it’s nice to have four octaves to work with. As you add notes, you’ll begin to get a sense of where the clarinet wants to go and what you need to do to adjust it.
