Posted by Robert Nowell on May 24, 2001 at 12:43:07:
In Reply to: Re: Poor Tonguing posted by slow-tongued cat on May 24, 2001 at 06:23:05:
Thanks for all the advice. I would like to state that the problem isn't so much that I CAN'T use the proper articulations. I can. Especially without the horn to my face. I walk around going tah tah tah enough to make a few people think I'm crazy... that is just habit. It all changes when I put the horn to my face and try it. I like the idea of practicing tonguing on just the mouthpiece. Perhaps I can get enough practice that way to see if I can/should change my tonguing technique. My problem only surfaces every now and then where the conductor notices usually during a brisk march like Thunder and Blazes where it's not quite fast enough to double tongue but my single tonguing is causing massive air interruptions. I will pay attention when I play and see if I can reduce my tongue movement to minimum and still maintain decent airflow.
Also, I was thinking of the physics behind a "spit" articulation. It seems to me that it causes both lips to begin vibrating at the same time, which is good. If I switch to "tah" it feels like one lip begins to vibrate before the other by a fraction of a second and when the other kicks in it's a bit less stable until it reaches the amplitude of the first lip, thus causing sonic anomalies. Perhaps with enough practice I can gain strength or loosen one of my lips to allow a more even buzz from the get-go. Just a thought. All this talk makes me want to go practice.
Robby