3 Systems of Intonation for Violinists

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Bayla Keyes
Professor of Violin, Boston University, College of Fine Arts
www.bu.edu/cfa... .
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Produced by Daniel Kurganov - @DanielKurganov

[@JacquesLuu]

this channel is a treasure for all violinists and string instruments. thank you so much

[@AndreaMarchhartChannelmedium]

very very interesting! As a former guitarist and harpist, I very much love this excellent explanation AND the way to design the mood of the piece. Thank You Bayla Keyes ❤

[@bahman1186]

Excellent information, thank you!

[@SonicPhonic]

Awesome information. Pianists usually refer to "well tempered" as per J.S. Bach, but this is great info for when we're working with Violin, Viola and Cello.

[@paulflute]

where's the Ego..? in harmony with the DNA.. wonderful stuff.. ;9)

[@danca4]

Good morning ( I'm in Italy, now ), for me Ego is very important. In my opinion intonation cant' be perfect, but ewery one has the possibility to decide up to the level of intonation he want to arrive: in a competition, in a public sala or during a meeting inside a party. We have an intonation wen we practice in order to going up the quality. But wen we play in public I prefere think only to the Ego, to my Idea of music in in that moment. Exactely wen we speak. In my opinion, we have the moment in which we think to improve and the momoment in weach we are in performance. In performance I live with the mistake. The music can be also inside the mistake, first of all in performance.

[@annaabanina6962]

Thank's

[@bencurmusicproductions9677]

Are your open strings tuned in Perfect Fifths or do you narrow the fifths? Very interesting video.

[@BaylaKeyes]

This is what I recommend: Bayla Keyes’s Compromise Violin Tuning - recommended for all situations
To tune the violin in a way which will allow you the best of many possible worlds of intonation, purchase a tuner/drone which has a variable A and which sounds all tones. Tune your A and D strings with the tuner/drone note at A=441; match the A of the drone exactly, then turn the dial to D and match your open D string to the drone D exactly. Tune G with tuner/drone at A=440, but with the dial turned to sound the note G. Tune E with tuner/drone at A=442, but with the dial turned to sound the note E. (Note: If you don’t have a movable tuner, tune A to 440, tune D to A in a VERY TIGHT fifth, tune G to D in a SLIGHTLY TIGHT fifth, tune E to A in a SLIGHTLY TIGHT fifth.) Your goal is to squeeze your beautiful open fifths a little, but not as much as an equal-tempered piano would. Note that your open strings will create fifths which are smaller than perfectly open fifths, but in the case of G-D and A-E, wider than those of the equal-tempered piano.
Open Fifths (Pythagorean)
E: tuner at A = 443
A: tuner at A = 441
D: tuner at A = 440-439
G: tuner at A = 439-438
Equal Temperament (Piano)
E: tuner at A = 441
A: tuner at A = 441
D: tuner at A = 441
G: tuner at A = 441
Compromise Tuning (Keyes)
E: tuner at A = 442
A: tuner at A = 441
D: tuner at A = 441
G: tuner at A = 440
Tuned using Open Fifths, the violin’s acoustical properties will be fully apparent; the instrument will ring gloriously. However, the G string (and possibly the D) will be noticeably flat to the piano, and the E will be noticeably sharp; the violinist will be likely to play flat on the bottom of the instrument, and sharp on the top. Furthermore, in C Major, a chord using open G and open E (i.e. G-G-C-E) will sound nasty, because the distances will be too wide. With the cello C string the problem is exacerbated.
Tuned using Equal Temperament, the violin’s open strings will match the piano perfectly, and playing in tune should be considerably easier, all over the instrument. However, the violin’s acoustical properties will be rendered mute; the instrument will sound like a cigar box. It will actually feel harder to produce a sound, because there will be no sympathetic vibrations from your fifths.
With Compromise Tuning, the violin will be able to have some ring from its outer fifths, while preventing the wide and disconcerting spread between G and E; furthermore it will be close enough to the piano pitches corresponding to its open strings to prevent discord when playing with piano. The G string will be SLIGHTLY flat to the piano and the E SLIGHTLY sharp, but not enough to trouble the listener. When playing with cello, the violin E will not be so disconcertingly high to the cello C string.
Let me know what you think!