Intonation Playing: Tone, Intonation, Breathing?

[Jazzaferri]

I have 2 SML Gold Medal 1 tenors. 400 serial BOTH have relatively good intonation but my main horn is noticeably better/easier/???? to play in tune. Setup??? Both look pretty much the same. Manufacturing differences ??? both have better intonation than any Mk 6 I have tried but my sample size is so small to be likely meaningless.

i think that’s why the pro advice I have always been given is to try (or have an expert try) before you buy. New or used.

when I was trying out 20 odd of the same horns after setup a number of years ago (from a decent Taiwanese mfr) I was struck by how differently some of them played.

oh and my $.02. Until you have good internalized relative pitch reference always play with an easy. To hear pitch reference. Drone, electric Organ Piano . Bagpipes etc.

 

[6441]

There is a link to further drone downloads that cost a little, but I think it is worth it.

For anyone who doesn't know, Audacity can generate pure sine wave at any frequency and any length. You can also create drone notes on any DAW like Garage Band or Cakewalk (does that still exist?).

 

[Pete Effamy]

Unless it has Selmer written on it.

Don’t be hornist.

 

[Halfers]

For anyone who doesn't know, Audacity can generate pure sine wave at any frequency and any length. You can also create drone notes on any DAW like Garage Band or Cakewalk (does that still exist?).

Yes, worth mentioning. I think I paid £1.50 for them and happy to do that personally as the quality of his free content is superb. However the drones linked by Guenne in post 15 are also very good , and free. Used in conjunction with the instructions for playing the various intervals in the free Youtube vid I posted would more than suffice.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Don’t be hornist.

Sorry. Forgot the smiley. 😀

 

[6441]

Yes, someone gave me the drone advice months ago and I did find and download some. I'm considering making a custom drone+metronome practice "tape" to center on the main problem notes. I can use piano sounds for this or anything else that takes my fancy.

 

[Dibbs]

...
If you don't look, how do you know you're in tune?
...

Err... By listening to it. The sound is the only thing that matters. What it looks like is completely irrelevant.

I didn't believe this for a long time but now I have proved it. by playing a recording, unplugging the speakers and feeding the signal into a tuner. The letters and numbers on the screen don't have anything like the emotional effect that the sound does. In fact, I can't even recognise the tune. Try it. I'm sure you'll agree.

 

[Colin the Bear]

The saxophone doesn't play in tune. This is part of its charm. One needs to voice the notes.

Playing solo and looking at a tuner is the road to madness. Desist immediately.

Playing with a quality backing track or a quality band will educate your ear.

A new tune/piece will take a few times through before your ear gets it.

Playing tunes in several different keys will help too. Surprising how a key change affects the mood.

 

[6441]

Or, I can just explain that I was bending the note that's sharp and went a hair too far.

 

[hedgehog]

The "Tonal Energy" app for smartphone has a drone feature. You can set it to play a particular note, or you can play a note and then it plays the same note, in tune, whether you are playing it in tune or not. You need to use headphones to avoid feedback loop, but you can hear yourself and the drone, and the beats (if any).

 

[6441]

I just realized I also have apps that do this.

 

[GCinCT]

The "Tonal Energy" app for smartphone has a drone feature. You can set it to play a particular note, or you can play a note and then it plays the same note, in tune, whether you are playing it in tune or not. You need to use headphones to avoid feedback loop, but you can hear yourself and the drone, and the beats (if any).

I have the Tonal Energy app and I think it is a great tool. It also has a really good metronome and can do harmonic analysis if you are interested in that.

 

[6441]

Wait, that's "TE Tuner"? That's the one I have. I think I got it on your recco 🙂. I'd never used the drone thing; never even saw it.

 

[GCinCT]

Wait, that's "TE Tuner"? That's the one I have. I think I got it on your recco 🙂. I'd never used the drone thing; never even saw it.

On the main tuner page on the app, there's that wheel with the pitches around it. If you press one of the squares with a note name, it will play that pitch. If you press and hold, it sustains.

You can also choose different sounds for drone.

 

[hedgehog]

The part where you get it to match your sound is in the lower left. It looks like a microphone and eighth notes. I'm not sure what the +M3 and +P5 do...maybe add a major third and perfect fifth?

 

[6441]

I did see it when I looked but not the record thingie. Thanks!

 

[Colin the Bear]

Be careful guys. You need a licence for a drone. The bagpiper who was spotted and reported near Luton airport got in serious trouble.

Put the telly or radio on and play along. 😉

 

[nigeld]

You need a licence for a drone

I know people who have been droning on for years without a licence.
Does the drone need a licence, or their keeper?

 

[6441]

I'd like to thank @Pete Thomas & @Jeanette for taking my request under consideration and implementing it. The prefixes are there to help someone find topics, and this is one that will come up often.

 

[Chris98]

Having come back to the sax one thing that is painful is my very poor intonation. So I've just dug out my copy of ‘Perfecting Intonation’ by David Beecroft, and that prompted me to look at his website and it looks like he’s now made the book and audio tracks avalible for free.

Intonation is Blending – David Beecroft Music

PDF: https://www.beecroft.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Perfecting-Intonation-Book.pdf