Excellent intonation, consistently focused and accurate, is one of the foundations of good string playing. Unfortunately, poor intonation continues to plague many musicians despite hours of slow practicing, daily scales and arpeggios, and endless repetitions of problem notes. In addition to wasting time, many string players inadvertently reinforce problems because of the way they practice.

A common practice method involves repeating problematic notes or measures many times, expecting that each repetition will improve the intonation. The problem with this method is that these inaccurate repetitions form pathways in the brain that record the inaccurate intonation. As a result, during a performance, it is possible (if not probable) that your brain will instruct you to play out of tune.

Choosing to stop during practice to play a problem note several times usually fixes the problem only temporarily. Practicing slowly is a valuable technique, but is time-consuming and might not completely fix the problem. How can you practice intonation so the problems remain fixed?

Hear Thyself
Intonation work is most effective when it is part of a daily regimen. This regimen is individual, but needs to contain three elements: objective self-criticism to identify the problems, determination of the reasons for the problems (by asking specific questions), and practice that’s designed to permanently fix problems. Unlike scales, arpeggios, and slow practicing, which work on several aspects of playing, an intonation regimen focuses only on intonation. According to neuroscientists studying motor skills, if you work on several skills simultaneously, you do not retain what you learned as well as if you focus on one skill at a time. So, focusing solely on intonation during part of your daily practice is the best way to improve it.

For your work, a good quality recording device (tape recorder or CD-RW) is important. Listening to a recording of your playing is the best way to objectively hear yourself and identify mistakes. In addition to investing in a recording device, take the time to make multiple copies of the music you’re working on. Using these working copies keeps your original music from becoming cluttered with pencil marks, which can be distracting during a performance. These copies also create a record of your intonation work, so you can see patterns of mistakes, identify continuing problems, and chart your progress.

Begin your intonation work by recording one passage of music, no more than 32 measures long. Put down your instrument (to rest your hands and arms) and listen to your recording. As you listen, mark each intonation problem on a clean working copy. Using arrows above the note—up for sharp, down for flat, “U” for unclear—is an easy way to mark the music. (Write the date on this copy to help keep a record of when you practiced this passage.) If you do not have a recording device, listen to your playing as if you were hearing someone else play across the room. While this is an excellent way to listen as you practice, it is very difficult to remember where each mistake occurred and how the note was out of tune. For this step in your intonation work, you want to be as self-critical and objective as possible, so you can identify all mistakes.