How to Tune in a Band

If there's one word that's really significant in music, it's the word "tuning". Tuning is so important in music because in order for the audience to enjoy listening to your music, you have to be in tune! If the band or the individual is out of tune, it creates an imbalance of sounds between the players and is very displeasing to hear. So how exactly do you play in tune? What steps should you take?

When you start out learning how to tune, a tuner is an essential tool to help you! One thing you have to do in music is listen. Sit down with your instrument and the tuner. Play your concert Bb note and adjust the instrument to get into tune. On almost all instrument, pull out if your sound is too sharp, and push in if the sound is too flat. Remember to not just stare at the tuner. Listen to your sound. Hear what it sounds like if it's flat or sharp. Try playing different notes and getting those in tune. Adjust not the instrument, but your mouth positioning in order to correctly tune these notes. Your higher notes will sound very sharp or flat, and it's very difficult to get in tune in the high register. You have to practice consistently in order to make the notes get in tune. After practicing like that, remember what the note sounds like in your head. Sing the note in your head, sing it out loud, and than play it on your instrument to tune.

When you're tuning a band, your concert master (violin or clarinet) will tune him/her self first. Afterwards, each individual instrument will start playing their one concert note and getting in tune. Try not just using a tuner, but listening to the sound. Listening is one of the most important skills in tuning! If you're out of tune, you'll notice that there is a slight "wave" sound between the two notes that are out of tune. Try to eliminate that wave. The instrument sections in the band should sound like one instrument if the band is in tune.

The hardest song to play in tune are the slow songs with whole notes. Every player has to maintain his/her embouchure consistently throughout the whole piece. Also, remember that temperature affects the sound of the instrument. You will have to tune your instrument again if you expose it to another temperature than it used to be. A way to try to avoid this is to constantly blow warm air through your instrument when you're in a colder temperature.

Remember, in order to grab your audience's attention when you're playing a piece that you have to play in tune. That is the first thing that the audience or judge will hear when the band starts playing. Listen, adjust, and good luck playing in tune!