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Hopkins, M. (2012). Strategies for improving the intonation of your orchestra.

American String Teacher, 62(4), 24-28.

Article · November 2012

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 S T R AT E G I E S
FOR IMPROVING THE

I N TO N AT I O N
of YOUR ORCHESTRA
by Michael Hopkins
Orchestra directors who address tone production, intonation and rhythmic precision as important
priorities in rehearsal will greatly improve the sound of their orchestras. Of these three areas, fixing poor
intonation can be the most challenging to address because it requires tremendous patience and ongoing
attention from both director and students. As Cohen (2009) writes, “Intonation is a problem for string
players, from beginner to advanced. And, it’s a skill that most work on constantly.” (p. 23).
All orchestra directors would likely agree with Curry’s observation that “slow and disciplined intona-
tion practice is essential to becoming a great string player” (Curry, 2011, p. 94). Yet in an orchestra
rehearsal, fixing intonation can bring the pace to a grinding halt. Teacher and students can be frustrated
if rehearsals are consumed by slow work on intonation. Sometimes in rehearsal we apply an intonation
“bandage” to a problem that actually requires a much lengthier treatment to cure. Fortunately, there are
ways that intonation can be easily addressed in every rehearsal and gradually refined over time. This
article will describe strategies that are commonly used to improve intonation in orchestras. Many of these
strategies can be used at all levels, from elementary to the college level, as developmental or remedial
strategies. Some will be more appropriate to use with younger students, some with older students.

Promote aural-based musicianship • Introducing shifting and vibrato by ear

Developing students’ aural-based musicianship in
elementary and middle school orchestra lays the
foundation for good ensemble intonation. Research
has established that developing children’s ear-to-hand
coordination for aural forms of musical performance,
such as playing from memory and by ear, promotes
high levels of musical achievement (McPherson, 2005).
A common way to develop intonation with a beginning
orchestra is to learn songs, finger patterns and scales by
ear. Teaching in this manner frees students from the de-
mands of playing in tune and reading music all at once
(Barber, 1990). We live in an eye-bound society—think
of the common idiom, “Seeing is believing.” In music,
however, hearing is the primary sense and sound must
precede symbol in music instruction. If we do not focus
on developing a strong sense of intonation in the earli-
est years of instruction, then we are likely to encounter
students who “play out of tune and do it over and over
again without thinking about what was incorrect”
(Curry, 2011, p. 94).
Teaching students songs that can be sung as well
as played reinforces aural development. As students
become more experienced, effective strategies that
teachers use to develop their students’ sense of intona-
tion include:
• Introducing new keys and left-hand patterns using
songs learned by ear (e.g., play Twinkle in F, Bb,
Eb, etc.)
• Introducing new bowing concepts by ear (e.g.,
bow strokes, tonal concepts, dynamics, phrasing)
• Playing alternative styles that do not use printed
parts, like fiddling, jazz and rock
• Playing songs with harmonic backgrounds using
method book CD recordings, or software (e.g.,
Band-in-a-Box, Smart Music).
Promoting aural-based musicianship allows students
to easily connect new musical concepts to what they
already know, and thereby experience cognitive growth
through the processes Piaget termed assimilation and
accommodation (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010, p. 251).
Left-hand position and finger patterns
must be well established
“To play a stringed instrument in tune, fingers must be
placed exactly on the fingerboard to accurately obtain
the desired pitch” (Jacobson, 1998, p. 54). A factor
that often contributes to poor intonation is a less than
effective playing position and a poor understanding of
finger patterns (Barnes, 2008). The basic position for
the fingers should be naturally curved, over the fin-
gerboard, and the fleshy point of the fingertip should
make contact with the string. The wrist should be
straight but flexible. For violin and viola, there are dif-
fering opinions about the placement of the thumb in
relation to the neck and fingerboard. Galamian (1985)

24 | American String Teacher | November 2012

suggested that placement of the fingers should be the
determining factor for the placement of the thumb and
elbow. “They have to be placed in such a way to allow
them the most favorable conditions for their various
actions. Once this is done, everything else—thumb,
hand, arm, will subsequently find its corresponding
natural position” (p. 14).
On double bass and cello, the thumb should
be placed on the back of the neck opposite from the
second finger. The position is very similar to holding a
cup, an orange, or a tennis ball. If students place their
palm on the back of the neck and wrap their thumb
around the side, it restricts the fingers and poor intona-
tion will result. Collapsed wrists will affect intonation,
dexterity, and may cause tendonitis or carpal tunnel
syndrome. The fingers should be perpendicular to
the neck of the cello or bass. If the thumb is pulled
out of position, or the wrist is collapsed, the fingers
sometimes slope and point toward the bridge. This will
affect intonation and dexterity. On the bass, the first
finger must extend backwards slightly to provide cor-
rect finger spacing.
Many teachers use finger placement markers to
help establish left-hand frame and finger patterns.
Research suggests that the use of finger placement
markers in beginning string instruction assists in the
development of intonation skills (Bergonzi, 1997).
However, teachers should remove these markers when
students have developed a basic understanding of
finger patterns. As Barber (1990) writes, “The more
narrow the tapes (and the fewer), the better. Although
these can be a good idea for beginners, the tapes
should be allowed to self-destruct (wear off) as soon as
possible so they do not interfere with the development
of the students’ aural sense” (p. 84).
It is important for teachers to have a system to
teach all the finger patterns required to play with
accurate intonation in the different keys. Villasurda de-
scribes the typical problems: “When the first chromatic
alterations begin to appear and when tonic becomes
something besides an open D string… Some students
seem to be oblivious to this notion and continue to
play everything in D major even though C-naturals
or B-flats are required” (Villasurda, n.d.). There are
many excellent method books and Internet resources
available with varied approaches to teaching finger
patterns. One effective approach is to use four-note
patterns (tetrachords) to introduce all the possible fin-
ger alterations. Scales can be constructed by combining
the different tetrachords. Several excellent articles have
been published in American String Teacher describing
teaching and practice techniques using tetrachords and
other finger pattern techniques (Abler, 2002; Kelch,
2000; Klim, 2008; Maurice, 2006). Introducing the
concept of chromatic alteration by ear during the
first year of instruction and having students play with
varied finger patterns as a regular part of their warm up
routine will improve finger placement and ensemble
intonation.
Use reference pitches
It is important to teach students how to improve into-
nation by using open strings and harmonics as reference
pitches. Watkins (2004) suggests that students should
be taught to “test as many pitches as possible with open
strings and harmonics” (p. 91). A good starting point
is to check octaves and unisons with the open strings,
then learn to check perfect 4ths and 5ths, followed by
3rds and 6ths (Curry, 2011; Watkins, 2004).
Make tuning a “student-centered” process
An ensemble benefits when students take responsibil-
ity for tuning their instruments and playing with good
intonation. A tuning routine that is “student-centered”
has the following characteristics:
· Teacher assists students;
· Students maintain control of their instruments;
· Students are encouraged to listen and make aural
assessments;
· Students assume responsibility;
· Tuning is done quietly; and
· Room atmosphere is solemn and reverent,
characterized by deep sincerity and seriousness of
purpose.
Graulty (2010) writes, “Why not put the tuner
away (after getting at least one player in the ensemble
tuned to a standard pitch), and ask other players to com-
ment on whether individual pitches sounded are higher
or lower than the reference pitch? When other students
in the ensemble know they might be called on randomly
to correct the pitch of another player, directors might
be surprised at how much more quiet and attentive the
rest of the ensemble becomes during the traditionally
mundane and passive tuning process” (p. 55).
If students are encouraged to make aural assess-
ments during rehearsal they will develop a deeper sense
of intonation and “take responsibility for their own
learning in a way that engages their attention, involves
their active participation, and fosters their ability to
listen and adjust” (Johnson, 2011, p. 51). Allowing
students in a large ensemble to be actively engaged
throughout the rehearsal helps train their ears to dis-
criminate (Crochet & Green, 2012, p. 51).
Using scales to improve intonation
Many expert teachers and performers have written
about the importance of hearing a pitch in the mind
before playing it on the instrument, or what Gordon
refers to as “audiation” (Gordon, 2007). For example,
Gerle (1983) writes, “Good intonation depends
on being able to hear the pitch of a coming note in
advance and on a vivid preconception of the actual
physical sensation of playing that note—its location,
distance, direction and ‘feel’—in relation to those you
are already playing” (p. 37). Whitcomb (2007) writes,
“You must always be able to imagine the pitch before
you play it, in order for your ear to be able to evaluate
the pitch and guide your efforts” (p. 44).
www.astaweb.com | 25
 A way to train students to imagine pitches before
they are played is within the context of a scale (Karr,
1995). Many orchestras warm up with scales and
arpeggios. Play a whole note on each note of the scale
at a slow tempo, placing a bar of rest in between each
note of the scale. Ask students to imagine the next note
in their mind before they play, and to quickly adjust
their fingers to bring it in tune when they play.
Another option with scales is to use a call and
response. For each pitch of the scale, ask students to
listen to an in-tune pitch played by you, a student or
an electronic sound source. On your signal, everyone
in the ensemble plays and adjusts to the reference
pitch. This can be a useful approach for teaching
students how to listen and adjust to others. Another
effective approach is to play scales by returning to the
tonic pitch after each pitch in the scale to develop
interval awareness. When playing an ascending scale,
descend to the tonic after each note. When playing a
descending scale, ascend to the tonic.
Playing scales against a sustained tonic drone
pitch can also be very useful for developing intonation
awareness. Watkins (2004) writes, “Practicing with a
drone becomes an excellent way for students to work
because they are more attuned to the variety of con-
sonant relationships and much less likely to reject dis-
sonant relationships as sounding bad” (p. 88). Use an
electronic sound source or CD recording to produce
a tonic drone, or have some members of the orchestra
remain on the tonic while others play the scale.
Pitch adjustment games
An important part of string playing is learning to
adjust the fingers. As Flesch (1939) wrote, “There
is absolutely nothing disgraceful about placing the
fingers inexactly on the strings, if only the note is so
rapidly corrected that the listener is unconscious of the
original, incorrect pitch” (p. 21). Asking students to
go from in-tune to out-of-tune, and back, can improve
intonation. Play a game asking students to sustain a
long tone on a stopped pitch (e.g., E or F# on the D
string). If you point up, they slowly raise the pitch. If
you point down, they slowly lower the pitch. When
you put your hands together they center on the correct
pitch. You can have different sections adjust indepen-
dently, or assign sections different pitches of a chord.
These games can help students learn to make fine
adjustments with their fingers and hear the difference
between in-tune and out-of-tune. It is very helpful for
students to hear accurate intervals compared with out-
of-tune intervals (Barnes, 2008).
Listening for resonance
When string instruments are played in tune, sympa-
thetic vibration or “resonance” is present in the tone.
An easy way to demonstrate this is by playing the low
G on the E string of the double bass. When that G is
played in tune, students can observe the open G string
of the bass vibrating without being played. Students
26 | American String Teacher | November 2012
can be taught how to listen for a resonant tone by play-
ing a short down bow on an open D or G and lifting
the bow off the string to listen for the ringing tone.
Barnes (2008) notes that once this is accomplished,
“the teacher can model an in-tune and out-of-tune
fingered note of her choice, bowed the same way and
demonstrate that in-tune notes will have resonance
also” (p. 40).
Listen to recordings
Listening to high-quality recordings can be a way to
familiarize students with excellent intonation. We
live in an information age, and exemplar recordings
by professional orchestras are available of much of
the repertoire we learn in orchestra. Most publishers
distribute high-quality recordings of the pieces in their
catalogues. YouTube can be a tremendous resource
for accessing recordings from school concerts, clinics
or festivals, and there are MIDI recordings available
on the Web that can be downloaded and opened with
programs like Garage Band, or notation software such
as Sibelius or Finale. MIDI recordings are often musi-
cally unexpressive, but at least they are in tune.
Intonation also can be improved by requiring
students to listen to recordings of themselves playing
and drawing their attention to the intonation prob-
lems. As Whitcomb (2007) notes, “Most of the time
we listen much better and more objectively when we’re
not playing” (p. 44). Directors should regularly record
rehearsals and listen for intonation problems. Our ears
become desensitized after several hours of rehearsal per
day. Take a recording home and listen to it over the
weekend and take notes about what you hear. Yes, it
may be depressing to hear at times, but it will help you
realize what needs to be addressed in rehearsal.
Analyze scores carefully for effective
rehearsals
In order to fix intonation problems in an orchestra,
the conductor needs to do a complete analysis of the
harmonies and doublings in a score. A careful analysis
will permit a conductor to quickly isolate and fix out
of tune harmonies. Begin tuning a chord by tuning the
sections with the root of the chord. Recent research
found high school band instrumentalists had greater
difficulty tuning to a lower reference pitch (Bb2), than
a higher (Bb 4) reference pitch (Byo, Schlegel & Clark,
2010). The implications are that if you are tuning a
chord and more than one section is playing the root,
it may be easier for the lower instruments to tune to
the higher instruments than vice-versa. Start with one
player, then add each student in the section, asking
them to hide in the sound of previous person. If other
sections are doubling the root, tune the octaves. Add
sections playing the fifth of the chord. Then add the
sections with the third. If you want to get the chords
rich and full, tune using just intonation. When com-
pared to equal temperament, just intonation requires
that major 3rds be lowered by 14 cents and minor 3rds be raised by 16 cents. As Harbaugh (2009) notes, “When
you add 3rds and 7ths, make sure the 3rds and 7ths in a major chord are not too high. Make sure the 3rd in a
minor chord is not too low” (p. 62). While it is common for string players to raise the 7th scale degree (leading
tone) in a melodic line, it is important to remember that in chordal harmony, a pitch functioning as the third of
a V chord (the leading tone) needs to be lowered, not raised, to make the chord sound in tune.

Listening within the ensemble

Lewis (1998) writes, “As important as listening to pitches is to attaining good intonation, that skill is secondary
to listening to what those around you are playing and saying”(p. 42). If parts that are doubled are tuned, particu-
larly in a full orchestra, it can greatly enhance the intonation of the ensemble. Rehearse sections together that are
doubled. Ask the students, “Who has the same part as you?” Their ears will open when they listen for who has
the same part as their section. Increasing the balance of the lower octave when a part is doubled also can improve
the intonation.
Knowing what to listen for in an ensemble can be challenging. Provide students with information on where
to listen in the ensemble and who to tune to. I instruct my string sections to listen to the front of the sections,
and instruct the winds to listen to the principal players in their section.

Shifting technique
Every shift is an opportunity for an intonation problem. Fingerings should be marked in the score and parts for
passages with shifts. Flaws in shifting technique can be disastrous for ensemble intonation. Isolate the difficult
shifts in a piece of repertoire and work on them in a warm up exercise. Make sure students keep finger(s) in
contact with the string while shifting up and down. When shifting, the thumb shifts with the fingers. Students
must maintain their finger shape and shape of hand through the shift. (Violin and viola hand shape will change if
shifting past the neck block, since the thumb will remain in the saddle. For cello and bass shifting past the neck
block, the thumb will come around the neck and become another finger in thumb position.)
Some shifting games that can be played by ear:
• Harmonic game—Play D on the A string in first position with 3rd finger, 4th for cello. Basses play D on the
G string in 3rd position. Shift hand to middle position and play D harmonic on D string, one octave above
open with 3rd (or 4th finger). Practice a smooth flowing shifting motion back and forth between the stopped
pitch in first position and the harmonic. After students can accurately match the stopped pitch to the har-
monic 10 times in a row then alternate fingers;
• Going up—1st position - E - F# - E (with regular fingering) then play 1 - 1 - 1, then try E - G - E then
1 - 1 - 1 (bass - 1 - 4 -1, then 1 -1 -1) , E - A - E, then 1 - 1 -1 (bass/cello - 1 - 4 -1, then 1 -1 -1);
• One-finger scales;
• One- finger scales returning to the tonic after each pitch; and
• Simple songs on one string.

Conclusion
When addressing intonation, remember to treat the cause, not the symptoms. Telling an orchestra something is
out of tune is obvious to everyone. Assume they know it is out of tune, but they are not sure how to fix it. Is it
a fingering? A difficult shift? A difficult note to reach? Are the open strings out of tune? Is it a problem with left
hand position? Watkins (2004) writes, “Teachers can pursue intonation work with students in such a way that
their intonation skills continue to improve on par with their advancing technique and musicianship. Teachers
need to be sure that students really know and understand how to listen and choose their intonation” (p. 86). Put
the focus on listening for intonation in every rehearsal and it will improve. Get the students to take responsibility
for their intonation. As Alexander (2008) notes, “To be in tune is to reflect an inner peace and a peace with those
around us” (p. 21). An orchestra that performs with exquisite intonation will generate positive feelings from
students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members.

References
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56-58, 60-62.
Alexander, M. (2008). Teaching tuning to the string orchestra: classroom procedures for beginning to advanced students. American String Teacher, 58(4), 20-26.
Barber, B. (1990). Intonation; a sensory experience. American String Teacher, 40(4), 81-85.
Barnes, G. V. (2008). Challenging the middle school orchestra musician. American String Teacher, 58(3), 38-41.
Bergonzi, L. (1997). Effects of finger markers and harmonic context on performance of beginning string students. Journal of Research in Music Education, 45,
197-211.
Byo, J.L., Schlegel, A.L., & Clark, N.A. (2010). Effects of stimulus octave and timbre on the tuning accuracy of secondary school instrumentalists. Journal of
Research in Music Education, 58, 316 - 324.
Crochet, L. S., & Green, S. K. (2012). Examining progress across time with practical assessments in ensemble settings. Music Educators Journal, 98(3), 49-54.
Cohen, J. (2009). Mo’ better pitch. Strings 23(10), 23-25.
Curry, N. (2011). Dr. Nick’s steps to practicing intonation on a string instrument. American String Teacher, 61(4), 94-95.

www.astaweb.com | 27
 Flesch, C. (1939). The art of violin playing. New York, NY: Carl Fischer.
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N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Gerle, R. (1983). The art of practising the violin. London: Stainer and Bell.
Gordon, E. (2007). Learning sequences in music. Chicago: GIA.
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Michael Hopkins is an associate professor of music

education at the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor, where he teaches courses in string educa-
tion. Prior to joining the faculty, Hopkins was an
associate professor of music at the University of
Vermont from 1999-2010 where he was conductor
of the UVM Orchestra and taught courses in music
education and music technology. He has published
articles in the Journal of Research in Music Education, American
String Teacher and The Instrumentalist. He is very active as a
composer and arranger. His works have been commissioned by
many schools and ensembles nationwide. Hopkins has appeared as
a guest conductor at orchestra festivals throughout the United
States and is the founding director of the Burlington Chamber
Orchestra. He has given many presentations at national and state
conferences on various topics in string education and music
technology. He is the director of the Michigan String Workshop, a
professional development workshop for string educators. Hopkins
received his bachelor’s degree in music education from Colorado
State University and his master’s and Ph.D. in music education from
the University of Michigan.

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