Here are your goals when working on intonation:
- Learn to match pitch with a flute teacher – Two flutes are the same timbre or tone color
- Learn to match pitch accurately using a tuner
- Learn to hear if you are flat or sharp
- Pull out – make the flute longer (lower) – if you are sharp
- Push in – make the flute shorter (higher) – if you are flat
- While you are playing
- Roll the flute in – towards you – if you are sharp
- Roll the flute out – away from you – if you are flat
- Ultimately learn your own flute and how you should certain adjust notes for more accurate intonation
Modern flutes have much improved scales and the work necessary while playing to stay in tune has been greatly reduced since the 1980’s.
NOTE: If you purchase an older flute, the scale will be different and you will have to find the position of your lips that will make each note play in tune.
In the past there were whole treatises created to let a flutist know which notes would be flat or sharp and by how much!
Woodwind Intonation
The Woodwind Intonation website has a lot of specific information on tuning, pitch tendencies, some alternate fingerings to adjust pitch etc. Some links to videos are provided as well. See if any of this is helpful to you. They have done a lot of work on this.
Rachel Taylor’s Site
Rachel Taylor’s site, Flute Pitch Tendencies, provides lots of comments and links to other flutists’ websites and videos with information on intonation.
Jen Cluff’s Flute Tuning “How To”
Jennifer Cluff’s site has an FAQs for flute tuning. Jen explains just how temperature affects the flute, how to tune in ensembles, using a tuning CD, and addresses basic tuning issues we all encounter at one time or another. I really like her simple, yet effective suggestions for common flute tuning issues.