A time of tuning should be planned for every rehearsal. With experienced groups the time allotted may be brief but under no circumstances should it be omitted. When new groups are assembled or when the temperature or other environmental conditions have changed significantly, tuning should be given additional emphasis. The time allotted to tuning should be structured so that it is as productive as possible. One frequent problem is tuning too soon.
All instruments rise in pitch as they warm up.
Since the amount of pitch change of each instrument varies, tuning before the pitch of the ensemble has settled guarantees intonation problems. A reasonable time of warm up should be allowed before tuning occurs. Some directors prefer to have the students warm-up individually while some prefer playing soft, legato scales or chorales with the entire ensemble. Both methods work so long as instruments are warm before tuning. The actual tuning may be carried out in a number of ways.