I have very good 'ears' for intonation. This comes from long practice on the sax. The sax is not in tune with itself, each note requires a little more or less pressure on the reed to play it in tune. No two saxes, even the same make and model have the same intonation 'signature' and changing temperature changes the tuning of the horn.

This means my ear is always 'on the job'.

Does that mean I always play/sing in tune? Definitely not.

Sometimes a little sharp adds brightness and a little flat adds tension.

Example: When Otis Redding on "I've Been Loving You Too Long" sings the lyrics "You Walked Out" he hits the word Out flat and gradually pulls it up towards in tune. This adds the pain to the song. Auto-tune would be a great disservice there.

Sometimes the tuning should be more like 'just intonation' with another instrument or voice to blend better. In the equal temperament system, that would be considered out of tune.

Whether your vibrato is mostly above pitch, below pitch or centered around pitch is another decision to make in the context of the song you are playing, and the relation of that note to the rest of the song.

In the end, IMO the question should not be whether the note I'm playing should be in tune or not, but how my manipulation of that note influences the emotion I am trying to express while playing.

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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