Practice Tip 15: Listen to Yourself for Tone and Intonation
What should you learn when practicing a musical instrument besides the notes? There are so many things to concentrate on during a practice, that you should pick specific goals for each session. What goals that should be included in all practices? Perhaps you should get in the habit of always practicing with good tone and intonation?
Some instruments are harder than others to keep good tone and intonation both. (Although piano sounds like a “no brainer” for this, you need to hit a key with the right firmness to achieve a clear note and desired dynamics.) When you are playing high notes on a flute, you need to be especially careful - maybe practice with a tuner at first or learn alternative fingerings for notes with specific intonation problems. And of course, with most string instruments, you need to always be on guard.
I myself am guilty of practicing without keeping these in check. Sometimes my mouth muscles just won’t make a good sound, so I practice other goals. I have since learned that a healthy warm up is often critical for a practice with good tone. And I have since learned about practicing a new piece of music early with a tuner for certain types of music or note ranges. I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
