Want to play in tune and have great pitch?

I know, I know, we all have that tuner app on our phone, or that tuner that sits on our desk. That we never use… But, why not? Playing in tune is one of the most fundamental parts of playing an instrument, especially when you're playing with other people. It might not be exciting, but it is really important. It's something that I stress with my students regardless of their age level.

This is especially important to develop in players that are not yet in college, so that when they arrive they have a strong sense of pitch. I can't tell you how many students I run into - regardless of their musical focus - that are not able to play in tune with themselves. (yes, this was me when I was an undergrad as well…!)

Today, I wanted to share some brand-new tuning drone tracks that I made for use for my students. You might wonder why you can't just use a tuner, but using these drone tracks allows you to use your ears more and not your eyes. With my students I'll have them play anything ranging from major scales, minor scales, études, jazz tunes, transcriptions, or anything that can benefit from using a reference pitch to help correct their pitch themselves.

A huge difficulty about playing any wind instrument in an ensemble, is being able to actually be in tune with the other players. The way each note functions in each different key, and in each voicing, requires you to place each pitch in a slightly different spot. With these drone tracks, you can help to fine-tune your tuning skills, especially if you turn them up loud. When the tracks are loud, you can actually feel the vibrations when you're out of tune or in tune against the track itself.

Whether you play trombone or trumpet, saxophone or any of the woodwinds, this group of drone tracks is going to help you play more in tune not only with yourself, but in every ensemble that you play in!

So download these tracks below, grab your headphones or speakers, and get to work!

See ya next time - 

Nick