Perform music with accuracyTone

Tone is often associated with the sound quality, colour, warmth and strength of a note.

Focusing on good tone throughout your playing will help to improve your performance. Aim to maintain a well-controlled, consistent sound quality.

Performers are often able to vary their tone colour by using musical devices like playing the notes smoothly (legato) and playing the notes short and detached (staccato).

Performers regularly use short exercises and studies to improve tone.

Tonal effects for different instruments

Strings

String players can pluck the strings (pizzicato), play with the bow (arco) and use vibrato to create a warmer sound.

Cellist Sol Gabetta makes use of vibrato by rocking/vibrating her fingers on the strings in this excerpt from Elgar’s ‘Cello Concerto in E minor’. A warm and expressive sound is produced as a result.

Percussion

Tuned percussion players can use a variety of beaters to achieve contrasting sounds.

Drummers can vary their tone by using 4-way independence to include bass drum, hi-hat, snare drum and cymbals. Further tone colour can be added by making use of other areas of the drum kit as the minimum of four different fills within each style are demonstrated.

Guitar

Electronic effects pedals can be used to alter the sound of an instrument. The most common instrument to use effects pedals are guitars. The usual clean sound can be altered to a ‘fuzzy’ sound by using distortion, like in this audio clip of The Kinks.

Reverb can be used to add echoing that makes it sound like the guitar is playing in a large room by using reverb.

Keyboards

Keyboard players are encouraged to explore the many sounds on their instrument, perhaps changing the voice during a piece to create contrast of tone.

Vocals

Singers can improve tone by having good posture, breathing correctly, opening their mouth wide and using good diction. Warming up before performing will help your tone.