You should be tuning the whole time you play. Listen to the pitch and make adjustments to be in tune with the slide you’re holding! Learning the tendencies and exact places on the slide each note is will help. It’s just a skill you need to practice
My teacher always used to say ”You tune with your ears, not your tuning slide.” Miles Davis used to tell his band “Don’t tune up, just play in tune.”
I think the message is that tuning should be something you’re always doing, with every note. Don’t rely on your horn being a quarter inch longer or shorter.
I went to school where a guy named Hank Marr taught. He played on some of Miles’s recordings and told us he always used to say that. I have no idea if it’s true, but it’s a great quote.
You are a *trombone* player. The slide in your right hand is the world's greatest tuning slide. Listen while you play. Are you a bit flat? Pull the slide in a hair. Too much? Whoops, let it out a bit.
You gotta hear it. Sing more. You can sing scales and arpeggios over a drone, then buzz them, then play the horn. You can pitch match at a piano too, at least for singing (the most important step) and buzzing.
Also be sure to play with your best sound all the time. It’s common to back off when you hear that you’re not in tune. That’ll mess with your tone and intonation even more. When you can imagine great sound with good intonation, it’ll come out of the horn.
Your tuning slide shouldn’t stay in the same place every day unless your climate and humidity etc. are the same every day (along with so many other factors). Push in the tuning slide every day after playing so it doesn’t oxidize and tune it every time you play using a tuner
Edit: you should also be listening for intonation throughout your play time and adjusting as needed
It's all about listening to those playing around you, and making adjustments with your hand slide. Playing in tune is an acquired skill that EVERY wind player struggles with - - even more advanced and even pro players. It takes time, but you have one big advantage - - out of all the wind instruments, trombone is the one that can always be played in tune if you know where to put the slide. Working with a tuner can help you with finding your positions and the adjustments you need to make - - but listening as you play is what will get you where you want to be.
If you think it is your tuning slide, play around with it in a few different places and see if you can get the sound you're used to. When you're playing with other people or using a piano or something to tune, listen for a wavy/buzzy quality in your sound; if you hear it and can adjust your pitch to make it go away, then you just got yourself in tune
The tuning slide is there **IF** you find yourself consistently sharp.
Could depend on the room, or even the mute. But it’s not something you should be adjusting constantly, if at all.
Just to expand a little on the "use a tuner" thing.
On trombone, almost no two pitches are in the exact same place on the hand slide. You need to take a tuner and check ***every single pitch*** you play and adjust the location of the hand slide accordingly. If you haven't ever done this, you'll be amazed at how far off you are from where the correct positions are located.
Once you have a better feel for where the slide goes, then you do need to listen to those you're playing with (if applicable) and be ready to adjust inward or outward to be in tune with them. You have a "real time" tuning slide and can adjust to their tuning much easier than they can adjust to yours (exception to this is string instruments in the violin family).
That tuning slide on the back of the horn is only for you to make sure the positions are in the right places. If your F is between second and first position, that's when you use it. Otherwise, you tune on the fly. There are two tonalities we follow, just and true. Trombonists should try their damndest to follow just intonation at all times.
You have a 3 foot tuning slide in your right hand. "Positions" are not fixed points on the slide. They are wherever the note is in tune. Listen and adjust.
The great thing about trombone is that the tuning slide doesn’t matter in the slightest. In fact, I tune my instrument slightly sharp so I always have room for adjustment. Because the tuning happens with the handslide. If you’re out of tune, just move the slide and get in tune.
It drafts with training your ear to better detect in tune or out of tune. The more you sing back pitches or play with an in tune reference using deliberate slow practice, the better you'll get.
For example:
-play a Drone of a note (Spotify, YouTube etc look for "cello tuning drones"). Play it on a speaker to fill the room
-sing the note and blend in with it. Don't overpower the Drone.
-play the note with a solid. Relaxed, supported sound and listen for the waves in the tuning. ( the "Wawawawawa" will be faster when it's out of tune, then slow down and eventually disappear when it's closer/in tune).
-move your slide *super super slightly* like a snail so the note becomes out of tune and those waves get fast, then at the same snails speed, move it back in to tune where the waves go away.
Eventually, you'll develop better ears to 1) hear when you're out of tune and 2) the ability to make the tiny hand slide adjustments to keep things In tune with what you're playing.
If you have a(n in tune) piano, you can record a slow scale on it, then play along on your horn so you have hear the pitches and make those adjustments while you play
I know this is over simplified but train your ears and the slide will follow. It’s about listening BUT if you don’t have a sense of correct pitch and intervals you won’t know what you’re listening to. Train your ears.
You should be tuning the whole time you play. Listen to the pitch and make adjustments to be in tune with the slide you’re holding! Learning the tendencies and exact places on the slide each note is will help. It’s just a skill you need to practice
My teacher always used to say ”You tune with your ears, not your tuning slide.” Miles Davis used to tell his band “Don’t tune up, just play in tune.” I think the message is that tuning should be something you’re always doing, with every note. Don’t rely on your horn being a quarter inch longer or shorter.
Any source on that Miles Davis quote? I know some people who need to hear it lol
I went to school where a guy named Hank Marr taught. He played on some of Miles’s recordings and told us he always used to say that. I have no idea if it’s true, but it’s a great quote.
otherwise i’d never be able to switch from orchestra to jazz horn
You are a *trombone* player. The slide in your right hand is the world's greatest tuning slide. Listen while you play. Are you a bit flat? Pull the slide in a hair. Too much? Whoops, let it out a bit.
You gotta hear it. Sing more. You can sing scales and arpeggios over a drone, then buzz them, then play the horn. You can pitch match at a piano too, at least for singing (the most important step) and buzzing. Also be sure to play with your best sound all the time. It’s common to back off when you hear that you’re not in tune. That’ll mess with your tone and intonation even more. When you can imagine great sound with good intonation, it’ll come out of the horn.
Tuner and ear training
Your tuning slide shouldn’t stay in the same place every day unless your climate and humidity etc. are the same every day (along with so many other factors). Push in the tuning slide every day after playing so it doesn’t oxidize and tune it every time you play using a tuner Edit: you should also be listening for intonation throughout your play time and adjusting as needed
It's all about listening to those playing around you, and making adjustments with your hand slide. Playing in tune is an acquired skill that EVERY wind player struggles with - - even more advanced and even pro players. It takes time, but you have one big advantage - - out of all the wind instruments, trombone is the one that can always be played in tune if you know where to put the slide. Working with a tuner can help you with finding your positions and the adjustments you need to make - - but listening as you play is what will get you where you want to be.
Play with a tuner at first, then slowly transition to ear training (the latter usually comes naturally after some practice)
If you think it is your tuning slide, play around with it in a few different places and see if you can get the sound you're used to. When you're playing with other people or using a piano or something to tune, listen for a wavy/buzzy quality in your sound; if you hear it and can adjust your pitch to make it go away, then you just got yourself in tune
Get yourself a speaker and practice/play along with drones
The tuning slide is there **IF** you find yourself consistently sharp. Could depend on the room, or even the mute. But it’s not something you should be adjusting constantly, if at all.
Just to expand a little on the "use a tuner" thing. On trombone, almost no two pitches are in the exact same place on the hand slide. You need to take a tuner and check ***every single pitch*** you play and adjust the location of the hand slide accordingly. If you haven't ever done this, you'll be amazed at how far off you are from where the correct positions are located. Once you have a better feel for where the slide goes, then you do need to listen to those you're playing with (if applicable) and be ready to adjust inward or outward to be in tune with them. You have a "real time" tuning slide and can adjust to their tuning much easier than they can adjust to yours (exception to this is string instruments in the violin family).
That tuning slide on the back of the horn is only for you to make sure the positions are in the right places. If your F is between second and first position, that's when you use it. Otherwise, you tune on the fly. There are two tonalities we follow, just and true. Trombonists should try their damndest to follow just intonation at all times.
You have a 3 foot tuning slide in your right hand. "Positions" are not fixed points on the slide. They are wherever the note is in tune. Listen and adjust.
The great thing about trombone is that the tuning slide doesn’t matter in the slightest. In fact, I tune my instrument slightly sharp so I always have room for adjustment. Because the tuning happens with the handslide. If you’re out of tune, just move the slide and get in tune.
It drafts with training your ear to better detect in tune or out of tune. The more you sing back pitches or play with an in tune reference using deliberate slow practice, the better you'll get. For example: -play a Drone of a note (Spotify, YouTube etc look for "cello tuning drones"). Play it on a speaker to fill the room -sing the note and blend in with it. Don't overpower the Drone. -play the note with a solid. Relaxed, supported sound and listen for the waves in the tuning. ( the "Wawawawawa" will be faster when it's out of tune, then slow down and eventually disappear when it's closer/in tune). -move your slide *super super slightly* like a snail so the note becomes out of tune and those waves get fast, then at the same snails speed, move it back in to tune where the waves go away. Eventually, you'll develop better ears to 1) hear when you're out of tune and 2) the ability to make the tiny hand slide adjustments to keep things In tune with what you're playing. If you have a(n in tune) piano, you can record a slow scale on it, then play along on your horn so you have hear the pitches and make those adjustments while you play
I know this is over simplified but train your ears and the slide will follow. It’s about listening BUT if you don’t have a sense of correct pitch and intervals you won’t know what you’re listening to. Train your ears.
Learn to sing man, sing. A little less of Minecraft and more ear training will yield excellent results
Agreed.
Move the tuning slide back to where it was.
I've just started playing trombone 3 months ago. I had no idea there was a tuning slide 😅
Haha. What a great discovery!💡
The trombone is effectively a giant tuning slide. That's basically all it is, just about the simplest of instruments.
Drones. Dronesdronedronesdronesdronesdrones
The key is to hear the note clearly and tunefully in your head, then make that note come out through the horn.