A Conductor’s Guide to Wind Instrument Deficiencies: A Practical Addendum to the Undergraduate Conducting Text

commonly used undergraduate conducting texts that teach the correction of wind intonation deficiencies. Research has indicated that conductors must be aware of and be trained to recognize and correct intonation deficiencies of wind instruments. Music teachers must understand acoustical differences among just, Pythagorean, and tempered tuning systems. Nonetheless, existing pedagogical materials for undergraduate conductors in training are of little or no help. The supplemental text addresses intonation deficiencies and provides musical examples and exercises to help the young conductor gain an understanding of the factors that adversely affect the intonation of wind instruments. The body of literature on the subject of intonation contributed by music educators has been utilized in the various chapters of this dissertation. The inherent problems of musical instruments and harmonic intervals as they relate to acoustics have also been examined. These resources have been essential in the development of individual tuning charts to reinforce musicians’ awareness of the general pitch tendencies of their instruments and the systemization of intonation deficiencies found in the above-mentioned research has been valuable in creating a system to aid performers in the awareness of the tendencies of their own instruments. This study is a valuable resource for conductors struggling with wind intonation and serves as a time-saving reference source for instructors with limited rehearsal time. Without extremely clear and comprehensible answers to the questions “tune how?” and “listen to what?” student musicians face an impossibly vague challenge. This study will provide band directors with the resources to answer these questions