Derek Reaban

Ingrid,

Last year I remember reading about a lesson that you gave to a player in the Seattle area. He wrote about the great advice that he received from you regarding fundamentals and I remember thinking how similar the comments that you made to him aligned with what my teachers tell me.

This sentence from his post struck me as very important:

• She said she often does long tones or scales with a drone in the background so she can hear the relationships between the notes she plays and the pitch center of the piece she's rehearsing.

I have worked with a product called TuneUp in the past, and while I think the concept is great, I find it hard to incorporate working with a drone pitch in my practice sessions on a regular basis. What struck me as significant in what you mentioned to him, is that you focus on playing in a single key to get everything locked in before then rehearsing a piece with the same tonal center.

Could you mention how you approach this session with the drone pitch? I’m guessing that since you do it on a regular basis that you fall into what is most important fairly quickly, so the time that you spend may be less than someone new to this drill. For those of us that are starting from essentially square one on this, could you provide guidelines about what you are listening for, about how long you spend with this (both now and when you first began working with this technique), how loud the drone is (speakers or headphones), and anything else that you might consider beneficial.

I’ve been working on the Promenade from Pictures recently, and I’m wondering how I could include this technique in my practice sessions. Would it be a Bb drone or F?

Looking forward to any helpful hints that you could provide!


Thanks,

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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona

Chase Sanborn

Practicing with drones is the most effective way to fine-tune your ear. I favor the root-fifth drone for establishing a key center and making yourself aware of the pitch tendency of each note on your instrument. With the drones playing in the background, you will be drawn towards the pure-tuned position for each note.

It is vitally important that you stay cognizant of the center of the pitch, where the tone is most resonant. With the drones in the background, play the note right in the center. If it is sharp or flat, leave it there for a few seconds before correcting. This sensitizes you to the sound of a pitch that is high or low, and makes you aware of when you are pulling the note away from the center. If you are not sure whether your note is high or low, move in one direction and then the other. The drones will make it very obvious whether you are heading in-tune or out-of-tune.

A tuner such as CenterPitch (which will be unaffected by the sound of the drone) confirms or corrects what your ear tells you. Play with eyes closed, using your ear, then check the tuner at the end of the note. Learning the desired display for specific intervals lets you move beyond the equal temperament bias of the tuner. The combination of aural and visual feedback will make a dramatic difference in your ability to hear and play in tune.

Tuning Tactics contains pure-tuned root/fifth drones in each key, as well as over 70 other tracks to develop your ear, as well as text on the art and science of intonation, plus exercises to develop your sense of pitch. http://www.tuningtactics.com

Schwab

Chase Sanborn! (now back to the thread)

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Dylan Schwab
Stage 1 New York

Derek Reaban

Hey Chase! Good to see you here!

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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona

trumpetmike

Hey Chase

Chase Sanborn

There goes my last shred of credibility, not to mention dignity.

Solar Bell

What happened to letting the ARTIST in Residence, to whom the forum belongs, respond first?

-cw-

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Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

administrator

Guys, We are going to try and set things up so that the Artist has the first chance to respond. We have to do a better job of setting some rules that are easy to find.

Ingrid is on her way to Europe right now and this thread is already moving along. So carry on and great to have you here Chase!

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Post your Favorite Trumpet Link here

Chase Sanborn

Having just arrived on this site, I didn't realize I was breaching protocol by replying to Derek's post. Actually, I didn't even realize I was on Ingrid's forum. I expect she looks better in pink than I do, anyway, so take it away, Ingrid!

Solar Bell

No problem Chase, and we have to go ahead on this thread now.

Welcome, it's good to have you here.

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan