In this episode I talk about intonation - since this is just a big subject and there is so much to say, so there will be two more episodes on other aspects of intonation after this one. In this episode I cover some of the basics - mainly, that intonation is relative, not absolute.
When practicing intonation in tonal music, the first step is making sure the tonic, dominant and subdominant (I, IV, V of the scale) are in tune - then you have the framework to know where the other notes fit in. That is because the fundamental, subdominant and dominant are perceived to be either in tune or not, it's pretty objective - whereas there can be different ways to intonate the notes in-between and the leading tones.
When you play with other people, there can be as many different opinions on and ways to hear intonation as there are players! So, the most important skill to develop for playing in tune is to listen and adjust your intonation to how the piano or whoever is playing with you. This is particularly important when playing with orchestra. A violinist sounds in tune relative to what else is going on - so it doesn't matter if you are "right", you may still need to adjust!
17 апр 2020
