How to Tune a Flute

Basic and Advanced Techniques for Flutists to Master Intonation

Nov 13, 2009 Carmen Sofia Grant

Playing in tune is more than tuning one note and moving on. Learning to tune a flute properly takes great dedication to understanding each flute and its characteristics.

Each note has its own unique tendencies that will make it naturally sharp or naturally flat. Every instrument will reveal its own unique tuning levels. The following are steps a flutist can take to always be in perfect tune.

Purchase a Tuner

Every musician should have a tuner to practice with. The best tuners are those that physically attach to instruments. The Center Pitch Universal can attach to the body of the flute and be adjusted at the perfect viewing angle. It displays the immediate pitch that the instrument is producing, and not the pitch sent into a microphone like other tuners.

This is helpful for serious intonation control since the tuner feels the vibrations of the instrument, which is what is creating the notes that translate into music. This type of tuner is also great for practice and rehearsal rooms that get really noisy or have strong acoustics.

Basic Flute Tuning

Learning how to hold the flute and position it correctly will create an even flow of air and a rich tone. Place the middle of the hole over the part in the lips and roll down to just below the lower lip. This is the starting point.

Always start out with a B flat or a G. These notes tend to be the least volatile. Hold the note for a good 10-15 seconds to get a good reading from the tuner. Adjust the flute's head-joint to get the B flat or G tuned perfectly. If the note is sharp, pull the head-joint out, if it is flat, push in.

Tuning Each Note with a Tuner

Advanced tuning is meant to understand the instrument at a higher level. Before starting, create a chart with all the notes ranging from the lowest B flat, if the flute has a B foot, to a high C. The best way to do this is to cut a strip of paper like a bookmark and write the notes from highest to lowest down the left side.

The right side will be used to fill in whether a note is generally sharp of flat and what action should be taken when playing, if any. For a flat note write a minus sign "-," for a sharp note write a plus sign "+," and for a note in tune or one that teeters in the middle, write an equals sign "=."

Charting Notes for Intonation

Once the chart is completed, attach the tuner to the flute and start with the lowest note. Hold the note for a good 10-15 seconds to get an accurate reading. Write down whether the note was flat, sharp, or in tune. Do this with every single note. Some notes will be very out of tune, even though the initial B flat or G was in tune.

Those are the notes that need the most attention. Once all the notes are charted, get a highlighter and mark all the notes that were severely out of tune. These notes should have been a half step down or up to the next note.

Advanced Tuning with Rolling Technique

The rolling technique is used to tune individual notes. The flute can be rolled in towards the lips to make a note sharper, or out away from the lips to make the note flatter. This movement is very slight. Play each highlighted note at a time and roll to the right spot where the note equalizes. On the sheet, flutists should write "in," or "out" to remind themselves which way they need to roll the head-joint.

Advanced tuning takes concentration and dedication to master. Every flute is different, and every flutist should fully understand their instrument. This method of advanced tuning will eventually get easier and soon a musician will not only know how a piece of music sounds, they will know how the music feels. According to Richard Hahn, Professor Emeritus of Flute and former Director of the Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho stated on the Gemeinhardt website that "tone is all important; technique without a beautiful sound is useless."

The copyright of the article How to Tune a Flute in Musical Instruments is owned by Carmen Sofia Grant. Permission to republish How to Tune a Flute in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Find the Perfect Position on the Lips

A Flute in Tune is Magical