There are two broad categories of music instruments: fixed intonation and variable intonation. Fixed intonation instruments are keyboards, fretted string instruments-anything where you cannot play out of tune.
Variable intonation instruments require the player to not only master playing the instrument, but also master producing notes, music, that is in tune.
The violoncello, or cello, falls firmly in the variable intonation camp. Playing something, anything, in tune is astonishingly difficult. Over time you develop muscle memory of where a particular note is. Unfortunately, if you don’t pay attention, you may develop muscle memory that is out of tune.
I struggle with maintaining correct intonation. There are two axis for left hand movement on a cello. Across the fingerboard, from one string to another, and up and down the fingerboard to different regions of the strings. The sideways, or horizontal changes are easier for me to maintain good intonation. “Easier” being a relative term. You have to maintain a good hand shape, and move perpendicular to the strings, not slightly diagonal, and you need to be aware that while playing your strings will drift from being in tune. Meaning the note that should be a perfect 5th above or below its neighboring string, may in fact be out of tune, requiring you to adjust ever so slightly to stay in tune.
Vertical movement, or shifting, adds a new layer of complexity to intonation. You can no longer use your left hand thumb as an anchor, you have to move everything, and land on the correct note. In tune. Oh, and the farther from the nut (top of the fingerboard) you get, and the closer to the bridge, the closer the individual notes are to each other. The finger spacing in 1st position is much wider apart than in 4th or 7th position.
Intonation can be altered merely through more or less pressure on your finger. More pressure compresses the flesh on your finger tip, making it wider, altering the pitch.
I’m not trying to make excuses or complain, I’m acknowledging that intonation is a difficult, fundamental skill on the cello. One that requires daily care and feeding.
This summer I’ve been trying to rebuild some of my weaker foundation skills. Playing fast being the principal goal, and intonation being the other goal. A day or two ago I decided to play a one octave scale. Using my tuner, I didn’t allow myself to go past a note, until I could play it in tune. If I missed, I had to start over, or at least start from the previous note again.
A one octave scale employs two strings (setting aside one string scales). Two strings gives you two in tune notes for free, assuming your cello is in tune. Starting a C major scale on the C-string, after ten minutes I still couldn’t play all eight notes in tune, one after the other.
So now I am starting each practice session with 10 minutes of dead slow scale work, aiming to play all eight in a row, in tune. Once I can do the scale ascending, then I’ll add descending to the mix. My goal is twofold. First I want to retrain my fingers where the correct pitch is. Second I want to learn to hear what the correct pitch sounds like. Not “close enough” and not “I’ll fix that later”. Correct or start over.
I resume lessons in about 5-6 weeks. Call it 35 days. I wonder if in 350 minutes of focused practice I can learn to play a scale in 1st position accurately.