The effect of experience, private instruction, and knowledge of directional mistunings on the tuning performance and perception of High School wind players

The purpose of this research was to study the effect of experience, private instruction, and knowledge of directional mistunings on the tuning accuracy of high school wind players. Subjects (N = 113) had five, six, seven, or more years of instrumental performance experience. Within this group, 42 subjects were participating concurrently in private instruction. Subjects tuned to a prerecorded stimulus pitch with both their own instrument (a performance task) and the tuning knob of a variable pitch keyboard (a perception task). They were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: Group 1 knew that their instruments and the tuning knob were mistuned in the sharp direction; Group 2 knew that their instruments and the tuning knob were mistuned in the flat direction; and Group 3 had no information regarding direction of mistunings. Data demonstrated that participation in private instruction significantly affected subjects' tuning accuracy and that subjects were more accurate at the perception task; there were no significant differences due to treatment or years of experience. Among performance responses, subjects erred significantly more often in the sharp direction regardless of years of experience, participation in private instruction, or the direction of initial mistuning; no such difference was found among perception responses. Performance responses for students reporting a first division rating in their most recent solo/ensemble performance were among the most accurate. Finally, no statistical relationship was found between performance and perception responses.