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Re: Need help/guidance with tonguing!

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-06-15 03:55

Robert Marcellus once said learning how to tongue properly is like potty training.

It is a slow and often not so pleasant sort of training.

Break it down to literally moving your tongue in slow motion toward the reed until you feel the buzz against your tongue (weird, but you get past that sensation after about a week) and continue until the reed stops vibrating. You can then quickly remove your tongue to get the next sound but be conscious of the fact that you are not adding any more pressure to the reed than what is necessary to damp the sound. Keep in mind that the note is produced by the tongue LEAVING the reed, not hitting the reed.

You may ask, "where does the force come from for a louder note or more forceful attack?" The answer is that this is produced by more air (or a burst of more air in the example of a sforzando). All the tongue ever does is stop the sound.

................Paul Aviles

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