Intonation
Intonation describes how cleanly the notes are hit when singing and playing. The word means two things: the accuracy of singers and players and, on instruments such as the guitar, the adjustment at the bridge that makes sure every fret is in tune.
- Meaning
- purity of the pitch played or sung
- In singing
- hitting notes, adjusting leading tone and thirds
- On the guitar
- adjustment at the bridge so that all frets are in tune
- Measuring
- tuner shows the deviation in cents
- Related
- tuning, beating
Playing and singing in tune
The first meaning is the accuracy of singers and players. The article The leading tone gives an example from the choir: in choir teaching the leading tone is a practical intonation topic. Singers tend to take it too low, because a semitone is narrow and the voice cuts the path short. The usual instruction is to sing it deliberately high, almost over. In Pythagorean tuning (243:128, about 1110 cents) it really does lie somewhat higher than on the piano (1100 cents), in just intonation (15:8, about 1088 cents) somewhat lower.
| Situation | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Choir, leading tone | Singers like to take it too low, better to sing it deliberately high | The leading tone |
| Choir with piano | The choir pulls towards just intonation, the piano stays equal-tempered, the two rub at the thirds | Tuning |
| Guitar | open chords sound off although the open strings show zero cents: bridge intonation | Tuning, Tools |
| Tuner | measures a frequency against the equal-tempered grid, not how well it fits in ensemble | Tools |
Choir against piano
The article Equal, meantone, just: why your piano is slightly out of tune describes why the combination is tricky: the choir pulls towards just intonation, the piano stays equal-tempered, and the two rub at the thirds. Experienced choir directors therefore prefer in rehearsals to play chords without the third or to do without the instrument entirely as soon as the intonation is established. String quartets, brass choirs and vocal ensembles sing and play thirds lower than the piano would have them, automatically and without agreement, because the ear corrects towards freedom from beating.
Guitar: intonation at the bridge
For the guitar, according to the article, a difficulty of its own is added: the frets are placed equal-tempered, but the pressure of the finger raises the string tension by different amounts depending on string thickness and position. That is why an open E major chord sounds slightly off on many guitars although all the open strings show zero cents. What helps here above all is setting the intonation at the bridge; string gauge and string age also play a part.
The page Tools separates this cleanly from tuning: when all strings read zero cents, you play a clean open chord and listen. If something beats or sounds restless, bridge intonation or string age could be the cause, not the tuner. A chromatic tuner measures a single frequency and compares it with the equal-tempered grid; it cannot judge whether the instrument is in tune with itself.
Common mistakes
- Taking the tuner for the measure of purity: It measures against the equal-tempered grid. If a wind player in an ensemble plays their third about 14 cents below the display, they are not tuning wrongly, they are tuning pure.
- Taking the leading tone too low: Sing it deliberately high.
- Equating tuning and intonation: A guitar can be tuned and still impure.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
CentBeatingStandard pitchPythagorean commaJust intonationWell-temperedGuitar
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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