What Are Tone Boxes?

Welcome to the ToneBox system — a powerful tool designed to help you visualise, internalise, and master pitch contours in tonal languages.

Tones aren’t just about pitch. They involve throat position, vocal texture, and rhythmic feel. The ToneBox helps you link visual cues, voice types, and muscle memory to reproduce tones more naturally — especially in languages where near-enough isn’t good enough.

Each tone is represented visually:

• The line shape shows the pitch contour
• The colour helps you associate tone memory
• The voice type (normal, stiff, creaky) refines your vocal delivery
• You can add words (in any script or language) to associate meaning, sound, and memory

You'll see ToneBoxes used throughout the CLF platform — in tools like the Tone Mapper, Gedney Grid, and throughout lessons where tone precision matters. This mini-course will show you how to get the most from them.