Practical Intonation Practice Manifesto
1. Everything is a tone exercise. Always use the best tone production possible! Good intonation and good tone go hand in hand.
2. Don’t rush. Give yourself plenty of time to hear the sounds you are producing so you can determine if any changes need to be made. Pay attention to how it feels to produce a good note that is ‘in tune’ and memorize that feeling so you can reproduce it.
3. Regular, small bits of careful practice will achieve more than long sessions of inattentive, mindless practice.
4. Your ears are your most important musical tools. Improving your intonation is as much about improving your ears as it is anything else.
5. Words are important. The words you use to describe your practicing (or others’) influence what you will be able to accomplish. Stay away from judgmental right/wrong statements, instead try works/ doesn’t work, better/best.