Effects of Tonic Drone Accompaniments on the Intonation of Collegiate Wind Instrumentalists

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of tonic drone accompaniments on the intonation of collegiate wind instrumentalists. Participants ( N = 68) played an excerpt of the melody “Long, Long Ago” in three conditions: a mono drone (tonic note only), dyad drone (tonic plus fifth), and a control condition (no drone). Results indicated no significant effects on intonation performance due to drone condition. However, participants’ ratings of their own intonation accuracy differed significantly based on drone condition. The majority of the performances of the melody aligned more closely with equal temperament ( n = 159), and fewer aligned more closely with just intonation ( n = 45). Most participants believed the dyad drone (59.74%) resulted in their best intonation accuracy, followed by the mono drone (28.57%) and the control condition (11.68%). In response to open-ended questions, participants cited reasons why they preferred particular drone conditions, with the most common themes being “easier to hear and match,” “multiple reference pitches,” and “focused/directed listening.” Given that participants expressed preferences regarding drone use in the absence of performance differences, music educators may consider the role of comfort and familiarity with these instructional tools.

An Analysis-Synthesis of the Pedagogical Literature on Intonation in Initial Learning of Violin and Viola: Pitch Contents, Teaching Approaches, and Auxiliary Resources

“…According to results of some prior research, there is disagreement about the way audio materials help in the development of intonation. Some studies consider this material useless for developing intonation (Laux, 2015;Springer et al, 2021;Zabanal, 2019Zabanal, , 2020a. Others concluded it can have other valuable benefits, for example, gaining pitch performance accuracy, but when used alongside other kinds of exercises not only as accompaniment but also for other intonation practice (e.g., singing) (Smith, 1995).…”

“…The results of a similar study (accompaniment in charge of the E4 sound only) involving more experienced students (2-11 years) support these negative results (Zabanal, 2019). In a recent examination of college wind instrumentalists’ intonation (Springer et al, 2021), a single group of students (repeated measures) played a familiar melody with three types of accompaniment: (a) a single C3 sound, (b) a harmonic interval: C3-G3, and (c) no accompaniment. Results revealed that the use of accompaniments had no effect on intonation accuracy.…”

“…The order of presentation of pitches is another important factor in the teaching of intonation on these instruments, which also involves the order of the strings to be studied. Other factors, such as the teaching approach (Mishra, 2000), the use of written accompaniment or the usefulness of including audio materials in the form of accompaniment (Laux, 2015; Springer et al, 2021; Zabanal, 2019), are often significant for teachers. This is the reason why the choice of a specific learning method is an important decision that has consequences when learning an instrument.…”

La enseñanza inicial de la entonación en instrumentos de viento-metal y lenguaje musical en España. Un estudio exploratorio con profesorado de escuelas de música

“…Otras investigaciones sugieren a los instrumentistas de viento utilizar un acompañamiento armónico durante su ejercitación (un bordón o 'drone') (Puangsamlee y Fyr, 2018) o bien una 'nota pedal' (un sonido continuo, generalmente la nota tónica) (Springer et al, 2020). Sin embargo, el estudio de Zabanal (2019) no confirma resultados positivos del uso de drones, aunque se trata de un trabajo limitado y de tipo exploratorio.…”

“…Las actividades relacionadas con la entonación consisten en tocar e igualar sonidos largos del profesor, tocar intervalos determinados para conseguir la entonación correcta, tocar escalas y arpegios, tocar con acompañamiento de una "nota-pedal" (sonido largo o mantenido), de un bordón (un intervalo armónico) o de un ostinato (patrón repetido de sonidos). Estas actividades están en línea con estudios que recomiendan este tipo de actividades y estrategias (Springer et al, 2020), aunque existe controversia respecto a la efectividad de los bordones (por ejemplo, Zabanal, 2019).…”