Image by Brent Connelly from Pixabay
If I told you that practicing two simple things on your violin could reliably improve your intonation, would you do it? The only catch is that you have to practice them consistently, and you have to pay attention as you do it. If you can do that, then you can expect great results! It seems too simple to be true, but it is simple, and it is true.
Ringy notes for intonation
The first exercise is what many people call “Ringy Notes”, and Suzuki teachers call it “Tonalizations”. Once you condition yourself to find the “ringy notes” on your violin, you will forever have a built-in “indicator” that will tell you if half your notes are in tune or not.
Here’s a video demonstrating the concept of ringy notes. Learn the exercise (it’s a glorified G Major arpeggio) so you can find those ringy notes and you will never doubt your pitch again.
Practice scales until you wanna puke
In addition to learning to hear and hit those tonalizations, you’ve gotta practice scales. People ask me, “I practice scales, but does it do any good”? The answer is YES IT DOES. If you pay attention and listen. Your fingertips are little brains that are memorizing the distance between notes in every key. But if you sleep through it, the little brains don’t learn it. It takes lots of repetition, which is why you need to practice scales every day!
I highly recommend limiting yourself to just one-octave scales until you are consistent, accurate, and confident. Then begin two-octave scales. Then three-octave scales if you need those high registers. If you never use the higher registers (fiddlers, for example), then you probably don’t need to practice three octave scales.
Practice scales with a drone or tone generator
Practicing scales with a reference pitch can really give us a tonal center and help us dial in our violin intonation. I recommend adding this to your routine.
Tone generators are available as phone apps or online, with free and purchased options. Use the “tonic” tone for each scale, C for C major, D for D major, etc.
Practice arpeggios using the same concepts as scales. Start with one octave and progress from there. Start with simple major and minor arpeggios. Later you can learn the Flesch or Galamian arpeggio routines.
Of course, this can be done totally on your own. But if you need more structure and a little hand-holding, all of my online Suzuki courses include LOTS of emphasis on scales and arpeggios!
Happy practicing! Meanwhile, feel free to join my email list for more violin practice tips: