For me, sound is very much a personal issue. I am not sure I would want to hear different bands that all sound the same, yet I have heard many that I wish had a concept of what a good “sound” was. Ray Cramer has written a wonderful chapter entitled "Soundings: Developing Beautiful Tone" in volume 6 of Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. If you are not familiar with this series published by GIA, I highly suggest you buy them and the accompanying CD’s as I believe they are one of the best wind band resources. In Ray’s chapter, he lists 14 "Tenets on Tone Production" which he attributes to Richard Hansen. I have found them to be very helpful when teaching the concept of "sound/tone" and hope you do to! They are:

1. Pursuing perfect intonation heightens our senses and is one of the greatest powers in music making.
2. Hearing the tone in your imagination before playing the tone is the single most important factor in achieving good intonation.
3. Musicians must first experience good intonation to truly know what good intonation is.
4. The instruction “play in tone” with good air, characteristic sound, center, balance, fullness, [and], matching color means much more than the phrase “play in tune,” which implies only good pitch.
5. A common problem encountered in trying to achieve good intonation is caused by not adhering to a standard pitch (A 440). Have a wind musician (oboist, clarinetist) establish A 440 as the source pitch.
6. The tuning note is merely the tone of departure, not the end result of being in tone.
7. Pushing and pulling tuning slides, venting, and cheating should be final resorts to aid in the achievement of good intonation. Work on foundations: air, ear, embouchure, and a characteristic sound that sings.
8. Ensemble intonation involves players eliminating all beats or distortions of sound.
9. Good and poor intonation amongst a few players has infectious results for many players in a large ensemble setting.
10. Most musicians are pitch confused. Therefore, do not burden students too much about being sharp or flat; rather sensitize them to the concept of beat elimination.
11. "Tune down" is a more appropriate instruction than "tune up" since we listen and tune from the fundamental bass voice so often and since so much music is harmonically bass driven.
12. Poor intonation in the upper woodwinds is caused (more often than not) by poor intonation in the low reeds and low brass.
13. Crescendos disturb intonation in the following ways: Flute pitch is sharp, brass and reed pitch is flat, a louder pitch is perceived by the ear as lower, when low-frequency instruments crescendo, the ear perceived the pitch as going up.
14. Being in tone is not only hearing the pitch; it is also a physical feel. Individual intonation is the result of a balance between air pressure and embouchure muscle placement. Group in tone-ness results in undertones and overtones being heard and felt in the body and the instrument.

Best Wishes!

Timothy Harris
Band Representative