Better To Be Sharp Than Out Of Tune

I!ve always loved that quote. I heard it was said by an oboe

player from the Boston Symphony many years ago, but who knows
for sure. There!s something obscure about that, yet there!s some
truth in it as well. Sharp does not sound as out of tune as being flat,
but it!s still out of tune. A colleague of mine, Gordy Miller, who played
2nd clarinet in the BSO for 51 years, used to always say that
intonation is a musician!s disease. Some truth in that as well. I once
heard a master class on playing Eb clarinet some years ago. How do
you play the Eb clarinet in tune was the first question asked. The
guest artist said, by ear. How much truth is in that statement.
Intonation is definitely the most difficult of all the performance
problems. Partly because you are so dependent on the players
around you and partly because you are not always able to control the
environment Another problem is that everyone thinks they!re right
and egos get in the way of making music. If you!re going to play in
tune with others, you have to assume you!re the one that needs to
adjust and not be stubborn. Better To Be in Tune Than Correct.
Maybe that one will catch on too. Remember who said it first.
I decided to write this article after a few incidents that occurred
this past year. One was that a former student of mine, teaching
middle school, asked me to give him some hints on getting his
clarinet section to play better in tune. He was working on his
master!s degree in education and needed to write his thesis on that
subject. He showed up with a book on intonation for all the band
instruments. It listed every note on the clarinet with an arrow showing
the tendencies of every note on the instrument. When he asked me
what I thought about it, I told him it was useless. I asked him if every
middle school student had a professional model clarinet. I explained
to him that the chart does not consider the difference between a
Bundy, a Conn, or a Buffet R13. How can all of these have the same
tendencies. It!s difficult enough if everyone has the same make and
model.
When I work with school students, I notice that some of them
have a professional type of mouthpiece while others have stock

mouthpieces. Some use Vandoren or Grand Concert #4 reeds, while

others use Rico # 1 1/2 . How can they possibly have the same
intonation tendencies. I!ve heard kids play the upper register very
sharp because they pinch, while others play the same notes flat
because they don!t support enough. The same severe problems
arise in the throat tones. Students also tend to pinch and play sharp
when they play soft and get flat when they play forte. I told him the
book is useless as a guide to getting the students to play in tune
unless everyone played on quality equipment and played with good
embouchures and breath support. Even then it would only work if
they could be taught to listen and recognize when they!re out of tune.
The secret to playing in tune for a student, amateur or
professional is to have good equipment and be able to hear - period.
Your instrument is only as good as your ears. The artist describing
how to play the Eb clarinet was right on, but it applies to all
instruments, not just the Eb clarinet. If you can!t hear it, you don!t
know it is out of tune, so you can!t fix it. I!ll make some suggestions
on how to help your students or yourself learn to play better in tune,
but it can!t be done if you can!t hear. Some people are simply tone
deaf when it comes to playing in tune.
To many people think that if they have the right equipment and
an in tune clarinet that someone else tuned for them, then they
will play in tune. It isn!t that easy. I wish it was. That!s just the
beginning.
A student who takes an occasional lesson now and then, was
told that she must use a certain manufacturer!s mouthpiece if she
expects to play in tune. Her instrument was tuned to that
mouthpiece. He forgot to tell her that it was him playing it when he
tuned it, not her. Besides, she does not like that mouthpiece. She
can!t get a good sound with it. Does it really mean that she can!t play
in tune? I know very well that some mouthpieces have certain
tendencies, but a mouthpiece does not make a clarinet play in tune,
the player does. I know many players that play the same make
mouthpieces and have different intonation problems. Do all Kaspers
play in tune, regardless of who!s playing it? Of course not. There are

some very fine players that play very well in tune playing Kaspers as
well as Morgans, Pynes,Vandorens, Selmers, and any number of
other mouthpieces. But these players would play in tune on any
mouthpiece because their playing in tune not the mouthpiece.
A colleague of mine, having taken a coaching session with a
very prominent clarinetist, was told he should not use a tuning ring in
the middle joint of his clarinet. The clarinetist said it could not work
and took it out. When he asked me my opinion I told him that I use a
double ring in my Bb clarinet because it tunes better that way. All
one has to do is use a tuner and the answer is obvious; it either tunes
better with a tuning ring or it doesn!t. This person!s clarinet, like
mine, plays sharp in the lower joint in both registers. Using a tuning
ring, the problem is corrected and the entire scale of the instrument is
better in tune. I asked him what the other person said was the
reason you should not use the ring and he said, he didn!t say, only
that it was not good. That!s like answering a child because when
they ask why the sky is blue. It!s either better in tune or it!s not. I
advised him to use the rings if the clarinet plays better in tune that
way and there!s no tonal distortion.
Then there!s this student I work with on occasion that was
reprimanded by a respected professional for using a 66 mm A
clarinet barrel. It!s obvious when she plays that she needs a large
barrel because her A clarinet is sharp without it. She plays just a
touch sharp with the 66 mm barrel. I use a 67mm myself because my
A clarinet tunes better with it. Am I supposed to play sharp or pull
out more because I!m not supposed to use a 67 mm barrel? Is that
some kind of 11th commandment? Have I missed the rule book on
clarinet tuning? No rings, no long barrels. Who makes these rules?
I!m going to write my congress person.
I went to see Guy Chadash last year to have my upper B-C and
throat Bb lowered on my Buffet A clarinet. He did a fantastic job in
relocating my register tube and re-sizing it. He reworked the bore of
the tube after moving it till we were both satisfied with the intonation.
(If only I did that years ago). I had been using a Moennig 66 mm
barrel at that point. He suggested I try a 67 mm barrels so I would

not have to pull out my barrel so much. I was still playing the clarinet
a bit sharp with my 66 mm. His adjustments did not affect the entire
instrument, only those problem notes. I have no problem playing it in
the orchestra, my quintet, or with my tuner. When warmed up, I still
have to pull out a bit so I have a little leeway. I guess I!m breaking the
golden rule too, a 67 mm barrel on the A clarinet.. I!ll have to plead
the 5th in tuning court.
Now, obviously your clarinet should be as well in tune as
possible. Some mouthpieces or barrels may have a tendency to play
certain registers sharp or flat. You need to find the right combination
for you. You may play one register sharp or flat and may need the
equipment that compensates for your fault if you are unable or
unwilling to correct a problem. Barrels come in all different bore
sizes. None work best for everyone. Just like a mouthpiece, you
need to try them to determine which one sounds best and tunes best
for you. Even with the same make barrels, each one may play
slightly different because each piece of wood may have a different
resistance and quality.
Most players agree that it is best to use a Bb barrel and an A
barrel for those particular clarinets because the bores are different.
Though it is possible for some to use the same barrel for both types
of clarinets. The famous English clarinet player, Jack Brymer,
suggests doing that in his book Clarinet (1). He suggests doing that
so that more of the clarinet is warm when you switch clarinets and to
avoid the embarrassment of pulling off the ligature and reed at a
crucial moment. He states that the barrel is an extension of the
mouthpiece (rather than the clarinet), an interesting thought.
The important thing to remember is that If your clarinet has a
problem, try to fix it. It is easier to play in tune if you don!t have to
adjust too much. You should not have to distort your tone quality in
order to play in tune. Using tape or finger nail polish (cork on a bass
clarinet) in the tones holes are some ways to lower the pitch of a
note. Pulling out the barrel, middle joint or bell or putting down extra
fingers on the throat tones are other solutions to making notes flatter.
Bringing the pitch up is more difficult and usually requires

undercutting or bore work by an expert repairman. No note should be

more than 20 cents sharp or 10 cents flat because it!s too difficult to
adjust without distorting the tone. That!s a maximum not a
recommendation. Obviously the closer in tune your scale is with
itself, the better in tune you will play. You should also learn alternate
fingerings for as many high notes as possible, so you have choices
when there is a problem up there. It!s more difficult to play the high
notes in tune because of the faster frequency the pitch is vibrating at.
That!s why it!s more difficult to play the regular clarinet in tune than
the bass clarinet (if you believe that one I have a bridge on the
Chesapeake Bay for sale). Although the lower notes are more
forgiving and less offensive sounding if there is a slight variance in
intonation. That applies to the low register of the clarinet as well as
the bass clarinet. It!s still better to be in tune.
You should be able to play with a tuner and adjust every note
without having to be a contortionist. Make sure your tuning note,
concert A, is in tune with the rest of your clarinet otherwise
everything else will be out of tune in the opposite direction. I always
tell people to tune their bass clarinet to a high or low concert A
because the middle one is sharp and that means everything else will
be flat in relationship. If your concert A is flat with the rest of your
clarinet, you may need to look into shortening or replacing the bell. .
It could also be a problem with the bore of the lower joint. I would
definitely try other bells before having the bore worked on. Of course
you can pull it out a bit if it is sharp.
One way you can learn to play in tune, is to learn to listen better.
Most people can improve their intonation by learning to match tones
and learning the tendencies of their instrument. Have your students,
or yourself, sit at a piano and match pitches. It doesn!t matter that
one is tempered pitch and one is not. We!re talking one note at a
time. Learn to recognize what it sounds like to be flat or sharp and to
adjust it by using your ear instead of your eyes. Use the tuner to
check yourself but use your ears to match the pitch. After a while you
will learn to recognize the differences. Do this for 10-15 minutes a
day for as long as it takes, even months if necessary. Flat and sharp
have a different sound, though admittedly it can be confusing

sometimes. I suggest that you loosen up a bit if you can!t tell. If it

does not improve or gets worse, you were probably flat to start with.
Playing with a tuner is also a good way to learn the tendencies,
but don!t let it become a crutch. Use it to check yourself and learn.
Ultimately you need to hear it. Play octaves, three at a time,
example, low E, to throat E, to the third E, and back down. Learn to
adjust each note. Notice the tendency of the pitch, at times going
sharp when going up, and flat coming down, especially in the throat
tones (this is one of my biggest annoyances when listening to clarinet
players). Keep your tone focused or it will cause you to go or sound
flat.
Playing scales and chords slowly with the tuner is also a good
exercise. Every once in a while, play a slow solo or etude with the
tuner on your stand and watch to see if you tend to favor certain
notes one way or the other. Play duets with a colleague and tune
your octaves and intervals often. Learn to listen. You can lead a
clarinet player to a tuner but you can!t make them listen, or was that a
horse? I always get those quotes mixed up.
Remember, it!s you that plays in tune not your mouthpiece or
barrel. Everyone is well intentioned but some are less open minded
than others. Everything that works for one player may or may not
work for you. Go by the old adage, if it ain!t broke don!t fix it.
Translation, if it!s in tune it!s right. That!s what my teacher Leon
Russianoff used to tell me. One of my other teachers, Eric Simon,
used to say, when in doubt pull it out, (the barrel that is) your more
likely to be sharp than flat.
1. Clarinet by Jack Brymer - Yehudi Menuhin Music Guides,
Schmirmer Books