Effects of Short-Term Practice With a Tonic Drone Accompaniment on Middle and High School Violin and Viola Intonation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of tonic drone accompaniment on the intonation of violinists and violists. Twenty-eight middle and high school students performed an ascending diatonic line and a descending dominant 7th arpeggio on the violin or viola in three trials: pretest, posttest accompanied with drone, and posttest unaccompanied. The students were grouped based on age and years of experience. A significant difference in cent deviation scores was found between age groups but not years of experience. Post hoc analysis revealed a significant difference between the middle-age group and the youngest group. No significant difference was found overall between pretest, drone accompanied posttest, and unaccompanied posttest conditions.