Well now you got me started!
If you record your practice sessions, you notice very quickly (if your
ear's any good) if you are tending to play a particular note out of tune.
Ever notice how much easier it is to complain about some other numbskull
playing out of tune? When you're on tape, you ARE the other numbskull and
it'll jump right out at you.
I also think it doesn't hurt to kind of go through and recheck your slide
settings from time to time. It's true that if you have a good ear, you can
put the slide anywhere and still play in tune, but I've noticed, especially
playing other people's horns (how do they play that thing!) that I'll miss
notes because the note's not where my ear says it should be. Adjust a slide
so you can center that note instead of playing it at the edge and it's just
that much easier. I get my hands on an awful lot of horns but I rarely find
that people have set the slides anywhere close to in tune, especially on most
Conns. People pull both of the F slides out a half inch or so when the F
horn would be flat to the Bb horn even if both of the F slides were pushed
all the way in. They've got Bb/E horn. No wonder the E and D at the bottom
of the staff are flat! The whole dang thing is!
Naturally the electronic tuner is only an aid. If you play perfectly in
tune with it, you'll only be as in-tune as a piano, which is to say, horribly
out of tune! Once you hear intervals really in tune, you'll be spoiled for
life and you'll go crazy too because you will hear it so rarely unless you
make it to one of the really top orchestras.
-Steve M
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