intonation

In music, the means by which a performer maintains correct tuning. Pitch accuracy requires continuous slight adjustments of pitch in those instruments for which it is feasible. For orchestral violins, violas, cellos, and double basses, pitch is adjustable by finger positioning (instruments losing pitch as a result of atmospheric conditions are retuned between movements). Woodwind instruments are of relatively fixed pitch, but a note may ‘bend’ using a combination of finger and breath technique, or be shifted microtonally by adopting a different fingering. Trumpets are equipped with a tuning slide, controlled by the little finger; horns can be modified in pitch by inserting the left hand into the bell.