Tonal Energy app

[dstpt]

Tonal Energy app

The purpose of this thread is for discussion of an app called "Tonal Energy,” which you can download to iOS/Android devices. Purchase price: $3.99 through iTunes. It is primarily an intonation and metronome app, but it has many functions that I did not know was available on the market to us musicians.

Before I go further, I would request that the parameters of this discussion remain positive and limited to the benefits (or critical analysis after fair amount of personal testing) of this specific tool or any others like it on the market. (IOW, please do not post things like, "Well, I don't believe in them things...just use your ears!” If you feel that strongly about these types of teaching/learning tools, then please launch a new TH thread to express those thoughts there. I believe that while most people have “ears to hear,” that not all have the same “level of perception” of what they are hearing.) I would hope that others who have tried the app or any others like it (if such exist), or those that have a sincere interest in the app, would comment or pose legitimate questions to this thread.

What has captured my attention the most is a function that displays the harmonics/overtones in sound. I just learned of this app last night, so I don’t know much more than that at this point. I already have other tuner and metronome apps, so my main interest with this app is that single function of displaying overtones/harmonics in a sustained tone, and thus providing a visual display to assist with further development of the sound. We can then experiment with altering things like: horns, mouthpieces, leadpipes, oral cavity/soft palate, resting tongue placement, relaxation, breath speed, etc., which can move us forward in our development of our sound…personally as well as with students.

For those that are anxious to download the app “Tonal Energy” and see this specific function
• Download the app (and pay that outrageous amount of $3.99!).
• It will appear as “TE Tuner” on your device.
• In the upper left corner, you can toggle between Equal and Just Temperament tuning. I just leave it on Equal, since so much of my playing is with electronic keyboard in the pit.
• Just below that and slightly to the right, you can change the pitch level to “tenths” of a cent (e.g. A 440.2) and transpose to any instrument key.
• In the upper right corner is the Metronome option.
• Before you go further into your exploration of the app, select “Analysis” at the bottom center of the screen.
• The bottom half of the screen now changes to the Waveform/Pitch display.
• Just above that section, basically on the left/middle of the screen, touch the small toggle “button” option, and a pop-down of four options will appear.
• Select: Harmonic from that pop-down.
• The bottom half of the screen now displays “Harmonic Energy Series.”
• When you play a note with this particular display, the top portion of your device will show your pitch, and the bottom portion will display the harmonics in your sound.

It’s this last part that has stoked my interest the most. Playing in tune is important, but maintaining consistency of timbre or intentionally altering the timbre, or striving to improve the timbre, is equally important. IOW, you can be playing in the “center of the pitch,” but not be in the “center of the sound,” where we pick up all of the richness of overtones that we might classify as a model trumpet sound. Ultimately, I think we should want the two elements…center of pitch and center of sound…to be produced hand in hand, or concurrently, but they can be very distinct and separate elements. I believe there is so much to learn and discuss along these lines.


Here is a link to the webpage:

https://tonalenergy.com

Notice the quote on the Home page by Chris Coletti of the Canadian Brass:

“TonalEnergy is a must-have for any serious musician. It's a full suite of tools in one app; the tuner, tone generator, recorder, metronome and beautiful interface make it one of the best tools for musicians out there, period.”

Mr. Coletti’s testimonial should provide a secure recommendation for us trumpeters.

I only learned of this app last night after we finished a rehearsal for a show. A reed player and I were talking on the phone as we drove home in our cars to opposite ends of the city. What brought this up, unfortunately, was the struggle that another reed player was having on E-flat clarinet during rehearsal. The timbre he was getting on certain notes was unfavorable, uncharacteristic, and practically diffused at times. We started talking about sound and particularly the overtones we should aim to have in our sound on the various instruments we play. For us trumpeters, some of us want that bright, cutting sound in certain venues/genres of music we are playing, but others, a more “dark” (which I realize is a term used in a variety of ways), robust character we would consider suitable for large orchestral settings. Many of us want to have a solid distinction between the use of various mouthpieces or horns (light v. heavy trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, trumpets in various keys, et al) or for when we play certain passages/pieces/works or in certain venues/acoustics. I think an app like this can help us to see a visual display of these differences and form a launching pad for improvement or change.

My colleague told me how he uses it in teaching saxophone lessons to his college students. He goes to the Harmonic Energy Series function and has them sustain a tone. They can see how far across the screen and how high on the screen (which is displaying a “level” of overtones produced), from left to right, that their sound displays harmonics/overtones. Then he plays the same note, and they can visually see the difference, how his sound displays much higher levels of harmonics. (He did his masters degree under Fred Hemke at Northwestern Univ., so his alto sax sound is quite rich in overtones.) Here’s what he just texted me:

“When I change my sound up for style / effect / genre etc., the students can see the representation of the harmonics and how they are different. I also tell them what I’m doing inside my mouth and with my body to achieve it. That really helps them to figure things out. Doesn’t mean they can do it themselves... but they at least know what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Anyway, this got me to thinking about how much I can alter my sound and yet maintain integrity of tone and pitch. Here I’m using the term “tone” to distinguish clarity, or purity, of vibration as opposed to when we have, for instance, “trash” in our sound after a brutal practice session or performance. So I’ve mentioned a distinction of pitch, timbre (e.g. overtones/harmonics), and tone. You could use the term “tone” in various ways, but I think you can get the gist of how I’m using it. IOW, I might be getting tired and start climbing in pitch and then lip the note down, but the tone starts to get raspy, and/or the note dulls out, losing overtones. All of this is interesting and can especially be helpful in our own playing and teaching. The colleague just sent several screen shots of him and students playing sax, and his sound has a lot more overtones than his students (and a lot more than me!). All very interesting. I know the next step is to take those images and work toward enhancing those elements of sound.

[trompette229]

Agreed it's one of the better tuner apps available. You might want to edit your title from Total Energy to Tonal Energy or Tonalenrgy to avoid confusion if folks are looking this up on their devices, any easy mistake.

I can see where, with the help of a teacher who really understands the interface, the visual representation of harmonics could be of help but also to impress that hearing a certain sound and then trying or being able to reproduce it (as opposed to seeing it) still seems most paramount.

When I try different horns and mouthpieces I want to listen to the differences in tonal color etc but seeing something could help reinforce that as well. Interesting for sure. It would require some experimenting/knowledge of the properties as what harmonics are present for a good saxophone sound vs trpt vs trombone sound will all obviously be different.

[dstpt]

[dstpt]

And when it comes to using a tuner, I think one of the hardest things is...believing it!

[Anthony Miller]

I have the app also and use it every day mainly for tuning and metronome purposes. When using the analysis page what are we looking for exactly when playing trumpet? I can see the fundamental frequency but beyond that I’m unclear what I’m supposed to be looking for! Thanks.

[dstpt]

In a nutshell, I think we should be looking at trying to increase the amount of overtones appearing on that “Harmonic Energy Series,” which I believe can eventually lead to an enhanced sound profile any player would want to have. Now if you want a covered, lackluster tone, I guess you could work in that direction, too. But with more overtones, projection would be easier and it would be an easier sound to which to tune.

Think of players that have very clear, centered sounds (maybe you are one of those). The sound they have is easier with which to lock in. There is no murkiness in their sound when you are trying to “find” their pitch. The strength of overtones in their sound makes it so easy to play in tune with them. There is no wishy washy aspect to their sound. It is also easier for them to play in tune, so it goes both ways. By having the visual aid that this app offers, I think we can see where we are and can begin to experiment with the various parts of sound production, going all the way back to our mental concept and carrying through to the wind flow and chops…everything that I call the “blow” (including things like oral cavity and other components already mentioned). I think it can help us find a path to relaxation and efficiency, which will encourage more overtones in our sound and can help us find the right balance between activity in the air and embouchure going into the mouthpiece and horn. I believe that trial and error is a major component to bettering our playing, and that tools like these can help speed along that process.

Oh, and on that same “Harmonics Energy Series” view, you will still have the tuner function in the upper half of the screen. What’s kind of cool with it is, as you continue sustaining a note in tune, the smiley face appears, and after you center more and more and sustain longer in duration, the smiley face gradually enlarges and emerges into one with an open-mouth smiley face, as if to make the app go, “Ah!” now that you’ve finally found the center of the pitch! Kinda cool.

Things I’d point out:

On this page of their website…

https://tonalenergy.com/products/te-tuner/

…the last bullet point under the first section labelled “TonalEnergy Tuner,” you’ll see:

“Learning is a social activity. Using features unique to the TonalEnergy Tuner, data can be collected, reviewed, edited and shared with others. Feedback is essential for growing and developing great performers. It’s all about connectivity.”

I just got the app and have only compared screen shots via text messaging yesterday with those that I got from my saxophonist colleague and his student’s “sound profiles.” From my bullet points in the original post to this thread, you’ll see the “Harmonic Energy Series” appear when “Harmonic” is chosen from that pop-down I mention. If you’re seeing the harmonics when you play, then you can experiment with various dynamic levels, or mpcs, on sustained tones. As you play louder or softer, or with a different mpc, you should see a change with the harmonics. For instance, if you just increase your dynamic, you should see the “levels” increase on higher overtones (those further to the right on the screen). Conversely, they will decrease as you play softer.

For those that are symphonic players, aiming for orchestral work, particularly, then this app could really help with “referencing” your development of your sound. What I’ve found is that each genre of music we play has certain areas of “expectation.” Great players have great ears. That’s how they got where they are. There are so many components for success, but for any great musician, a great set of ears is a must, no? Anyway, some are blessed more than others, and their level of perception is stronger than others. They have great chops, great ears, great concept of sound, and great delivery of that sound concept. I think these types of tools can help our development as players. Again, some have it built into them; others of us have to use some sort of assistance to increase our chances of getting closer to those standards. Just my 2 pennies on that…

So, exactly how should we be using this app feature? I would think comparing screen shots with others of the same inst or even different insts would be a part of that usage.

As I said, I’ve only had this app a day, but you can see this as one of their main list of features on the same webpage immediately above…

“Frequency and Harmonic energy overtone graphs.”

I think this one aspect of instrumental sound will begin to be the next major step in instrumental development. We’ve had tuners and metronomes for a long time. Now we have visual sound profile tools to help with our reference of the overtones coming out of our bell. If you can, I’d encourage you to set the app on this page and have another player or two play individually and notice the changes. Make mental notes of what you’re personally hearing in the sound and what the app is displaying. Then work toward the sound elements (namely harmonics in this case) that will get you closer to your goals. I would think doing this with someone that has what you’d consider a great sound would be an excellent approach. That way, you can “see” the difference, start to make mental evaluation and association, and work toward getting the app to show you a similar result when you play.

The company’s claim that this app is “feature-rich” is an understatement, I think. Again, I’ve had this app a day, but for the younger generation (high school, college, young career age), I think you are so blessed to have tools like this. I remember sneaking into the wind ensemble room during off hours in college just to use the big Peterson tuner to help with centering my pitch. Those tuners actually display overtones to a degree, which is great, but who could afford a $400 tuner (at the time) and carry something that big around!? And the pianos in the practice rooms were not always in tune! Then manufacturers, like Korg and Seiko, came out with small personal tuners; then they combined a metronome feature, but these devices you had to put on your music stand; then they came out with headphone jacks and eventually earbuds, then clip-on mics for your tuner, then actual clip-on tuners, then apps to put on your iPhone/Android phone, then tablets came along, so apps for them…and now you have a $4 app that has tons of features that we could never have imagined having…and all of it can help with your personal playing development, and teaching, that, I believe, will help propel more and more players to new heights in the development of their sound, and that earlier and earlier in their career!

It may be difficult for the more seasoned player to accept and embrace some of the newer things that we are seeing in our profession, like these types of music apps or practicing and even performing from iPads! Man, I wish I had had one during my college years and could have avoided having to carry around my Arban, Duhem, Charlier, Irons, Clarke, Small, Stamp, Smith Top Tones, Caruso sheets, all 12 of the orchestral excerpt books by International (10, plus Wagner and Strauss), and photocopies of Cichowicz compilation of Flow Studies! (And we also had to walk uphill in 10 feet of snow both ways to school!) Now students have all of their rep on a tablet! Incredible!

Well, you got me on my soapbox, and I must sound like I’m 110 years old! Ha! But this app is a good thing, and I just wish I was getting paid to go on and on about it!

[Anthony Miller]

Thanks. Just re-read your initial post and found the harmonic series toggle button - I had it set to spectral! That does make sense now. I’ll be checking it out later this morning. I knew the app was ‘deep’ but hadn’t realised how deep! Need to read the manual. Thanks again for your posts.

[Jon Arnold]

I use it and I am a fan of the app!

[mdarnton]

There's been a lot of work in this direction by violin makers trying to make better instruments for at least the last 25 years. A couple of problems emerge.

-- don't assume that just more is better. Each range of harmonics gives a certain personality to an instrument. Certain ranges are desirable, certain ones not.

--the amount of change in harmonic output to be easily audible is minuscule and probably not easily noticed on such a chart, if at all. That is, ears win.

--the effects can be extremely localized on such a chart, and all FFT software irons out many of the details in order to facilitate real-time observation, plus the FFT algorithm isn't really suited to this type of observation. This type of software was not originally designed to read musical sounds, though a lot of people have tried to force it in that direction.

--in every instance, machines just don't have the subtle discrimination that ears do. Mostly this type of instrumentation hasn't paid its way in the violin world.

That said, this type of thing is certainly a lot of fun to play with, and the cost seems minimal, doesn't it?

[dstpt]

[walldaja]

I play in a brass band in the Columbus, OH region. We were getting ready to go to the North American Brass Band Assn annual championship and we were dealing with tuning issues. Several of us had different types of tuners but our Eb Soprano player had the Tonal Energy app (she's also a school band teacher).

We each saw how much better her tuner was then those we were using and within a week the entire cornet section was using it. I love how it integrates the metronome function also--before I had a separate app for tuning and timing.

Great app!
_________________
Dave

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