The Effects of a Long-tone Exercise Support System on Wind Instrument Players’ Pitch and Tone Shape
Abstract: The number of accomplished instructors in Japan does not meet the needs of the many school bands in the country. It is necessary for players in these bands to evaluate their own performances when they practice without such instructors. However, it is rare that beginners are aware of pitch tone and shape. The authors of this study have developed a system called “Pik-kun” that aims to support beginners’ long-tone exercises without the aid of accomplished instructors. This article provides an outline of the Pik-kun application and its accompanying leaflet, as well as the results of an experiment that was conducted for two months among clarinet players in a junior high school band. The results of the experiment were positive; participants felt that the sounds they produced and their awareness of those sounds were improved as a result of using Pik-kun.
Presider: Madalina Tincu, University of Northern Iowa