Tone quality and intonation
- Tune the instrument independently with accuracy, and recognise when retuning is necessary
- Recognise and play with secure intonation:
- adjusting and effecting changes
- Play with a consistent, controlled tone quality across a large range of notes and dynamics:
- developing different tone colours and timbres
Using more than one note, ask learners to tune with greater independence.
Continue to focus on tuning in warm-ups.
Help learners to experiment with different fingerings and harmonics in order to effect changes in intonation and dynamics.
Ask learners to experiment with some of the idiosyncratic notes of each individual instrument, showing them how to compensate at different dynamic levels.
Using a variety of dynamics, encourage learners to use the complete range of the instrument in order to develop awareness of the characteristics of the different registers.
Where appropriate, demonstrate to learners the effects of vibrato on tone quality. Start elementary exercises to enable simple production of vibrato. Discuss the expressive effect and apply to pieces.
Make learners aware of the need to modify tuning when playing in an ensemble.
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