What would u do if ur musical instrument becomes untuned while performing on stage?

Question

last month, while i was performing on the stage my instrument got untuned, i could handle it but i wanna know ur opinion.

Answer 1

I'm assuming your instrument is a stringed one. It is actually possible to tune while playing, as long as it doesn't matter if you stop for a second. Or, you could shift your hand position up or down, depending. That's what I do. You don't have to automatically assume that your performance cannot go on. Don't let a little untuning stop you!

Answer 2

Obviously you need to retune or you're going to sound bad.   If it cannot be done on the fly, you don't have much choice but to stop playing.

Answer 3

honestly, a good instrument shouldnt come untuned. for guitars, as long as your not playing a really cheap one made in mexico or something, it should hold a tune fairly well. there are also ways you can string it so that the string locks against itself and is less likely to get unwound.

Answer 4

depends on the instrument. and if your playing alone or in a group. if your alone or the only person on your instrument in the group adjust as well as you can until rests. if theres other people who play the same instrument as you then heres soe suggestions:

   Stringed instruments

shift your left hand or fake it t il rests the adjust it. for guitar or bass if you part wont be noticed much if you stop turn your volume and tone k***s down all the way then tune softly.

  brass instruments:

for trombone if your your sharp then play all the positions out a little further, then if you flat play the positions in a little. trumpet, tuba, and baritone, players,take the hand you dont play with and adjust your tuning slide. french horn players wait for a rest or adjust your hand.

  percussion:

ok i know you can tune percussion but i dont relly understand it but i dont think that all the sudden they just come out of tune.

(well badly)

  

  Woodwind:

fake until a rest or if you hold a note with one hand use the other to adjust.

Answer 5

if you know you are going to be playing for a long time, tune your instrument just a tad sharp to begin with. after warm up your instrument will get in tune with the band.  if this does not work, MOVE YOUR MOUTH so it will make the sound flat or sharp.  its EMBOUCHURE.  i have no idea what instrument you play, so depending on the instrument, you are going to have to fix your embouchure differently.

Answer 6

Just move up or down a fret accordingly. Or tune it while you play. Hendrix did it all the time.

Answer 7

that happened to me.

i had a huge solo and i became untuned in the beginning of the song and i had no choice but to keep going. my band director said that no one noticed but he kept mouthing to me that i was sharp. but after the solo i quickly pulled out and was closer in tune and i kept trying to use my ear and get closer in tune. that is about all you can do.

Answer 8

Well, if you're performing as a solo act, do your best to finish out the peice(ie: adjust your singing pitch to the out-of-tune guitar pitches, or slide your hand up the neck on string instruments(avoiding open strings), or adjust your embouchre on a wind instrument), then chat with the audience or make a joke about your instrument being out of tune while you retune it.

If you're playing in a group, fake it until you get a chance to VERY quietly fix it. Unless you're in the middle of a piccolo solo or something, the rest of the group ought to give you enough cover to retune.

And Kris is right: don't tune sharp to compensate for string stretch or the climate/temperature. NOT a good idea. Will kill your strings, and possibly warp a bridge. No fun.

Answer 9

Any instrument , no matter how good or bad, can go out of tune.  Humidity, heat, cold and drafts are common causes.

To answer your question, it would be easier to know what kind of instrument you play!  However, since I am a string player, here is what I do.

If I am playing in Orchestra in a string section, it is easier.  If it is just slightly sharp or flat, you can adjust with your left hand.  If the string slips entirely, I will "fake" it by playing with no pressure in the bow, then at the next groups of rests, I will quietly and subtlely pizz the string back into pitch as close as possible, then resume playing with the section cautiously.  

If you are talking about a student recital or solo recital and your string is severely out of tune, it is fine to retune between movements.  NEVER tune sharp to accomodate for supposed pitch settling, very wrong practice in addition an archaic practice for old style gut strings, not the modern non-gut strings.  The gut strings always stretch out, all the time, modern strings do not and it will shorten the playing life.  Learn to fine tune when needed with your left hand and retune as needed between movements!

If you are a wind player, I can't help you.  Best of luck to you!