Quick Fix Friday: Don’t tune too soon!

Happy Friday!

By now, you should know that I have a lot to say about tuning, but here’s a quick fix many musicians overlook…

Tuning too soon!

Several of my students have told me that they tune as soon as they assemble the clarinet. The majority of them will be flat, through no fault of their own. Why? If you tune as soon as you assemble the clarinet, this doesn’t give you a very accurate reading, since the clarinet hasn’t been played much and will be colder. (Remember, cold=lower pitch; warm=higher pitch)

As you warm-up (both physically and mentally) and blow warm air through the clarinet, the clarinet will literally warm up, causing the pitch to rise.

The quick fix?

Wait until you’ve played a few minutes before tuning. (It’s fine to have a tuner on as you warm up, but take the results with a grain of salt as you warm up.) Once you have completed a few minutes of warming up, your tuning will be much more accurate.

Finally, don’t forget to tune according to trends (not individual notes).

Happy practicing!