Brief Exploration Of String Quartet Intonation

In string quartet playing, intonation is a complicated issue that concerns tonality, melody, harmony, etc. To promote assurance of intonation, it is essential for players to find certain theoretical and practical basis, and establish a 'unified' knowledge for intonation and means of settlement. This thesis is a study of string quartet intonation, and aims at providing players with a fundamental approach to grasp chamber music intonation. The thesis is composed of three chapters. Chapter One: The Basic Concept of Tuning System focuses on the three common tuning systems demonstrating their characteristic of pitch and range of application. Chapter Two: The Basic Constitution of Chamber Music Intonation discusses the basic form of scales and settlement of temporary chromatics etc. with means combining tuning system with performance practice. Chapter Three: Intonation Problems in Rehearsal illustrates solutions of intonation in actual performance with convincing examples of scores. In the end, the Summery concludes the contents of the thesis and writer's viewpoint.