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Articulation on Low Brass
by
Jeffrey L. Funderburk
Articulation on tuba is a point of common concern for students and teachers alike. The low tessatura of our instruments and the slow response commonly associated with larger instruments often cause difficulties with clarity.
It is important that each of us spend some time considering articulation. Articulation is to the brass performer as diction is to the vocalist. We must strive to pronounce each note clearly and concisely.
For younger students, it is important to note that the tongue is actually used in tonguing. The standard explanation is that the tongue serves as a valve to release the air. The tongue generally contacts the upper pallatte just at the base of the upper front teeth.
As consciously controlling the tongue placement is difficult for many and distracts the mind from the musical task at hand, I prefer to operate by concentration on words and articulation syllables.
The articulation syllable I recommend for most general playing is ¬doe¬ and occasionally ¬toe¬ for some higher or more accented attacks. The first aspect of the syllable that I find most important is the vowel. The use of the ¬o¬ ending for the syllable is critical for maintaining air flow and rich tone -- especially in extended rapid passages and higher registers. I do not advocate modifying the vowel until the register in the range of ¬f¬ or ¬g¬ above the staff!! This encourages relaxed attacks and free flow of air. So often the problem in the upper register relates to excessive tension which inhibits or even prohibits air flow. A steady, firm air column is key to good tone and endurance in this register.
The consonant in the syllable is somewhat open to discussion. I believe for most people the ¬d¬ works well with less effort. For example, attempt to repeat the word ¬toe¬ in sixteenth at quarter equals for an extended time, be sure to say ¬toe¬ and not a changed version of the word. Now say ¬doe¬ in the same fashion. Most seem to produce the repeated ¬doe¬ with less tension developing and better flow. If this is truly not the case for you, then use the more comfortable.
Much of the work to improve articulation can and should be done away from the instrument. Practice saying the articulation syllable the same as you would practice rhythm studies. Be sure that you consistently pronounce the syllable the same way. It is easy to slip from ¬doe, doe, doe...¬ into a ¬duh,duh,duh...¬ sound. If the articulation syllable changes during playing, the sound of the note and the inflection of the line will change---the same as changing pronunciations in the middle of a song. Be sure to use a minimum of jaw motion in this practice as the jaw should not move in sympathy with the tongue.
After learning to say the syllable clearly, go to the instrument and duplicate the motion. Think of saying ¬doe¬ for each articulation. allow the tongue to say the ¬doe¬ but use a full flow of air. With slow, careful practice, a full sound and even articulation should develop.
Another articulation concern is in initial attacks. I like to use a slight modification of the above syllables to help clean up the attack and assure response. While annunciating the ¬doe¬ with the tongue and open oral cavity, allow the lips to pronounce a ¬p¬ at the first release of air.
Often the problem of imprecise or fuzzy attacks results from having an aperture which is open before air arrives to the lips. The air should be allowed to open the lips the required amount as it passes. In other words, the lips should be touching (not pressed together) until the air is delivered to them. When the aperture begins open, the air is allowed to flow through the opening until there is sufficient quantity to activate the lips. This air gets through without doing any work, thus this is inefficient use of the air. To compensate, players often unconsciously develop the habit of delivering a ¬burst¬ of air at the beginning of the attack or even using the tongue between the lips to assist the attack by sealing the whole until the tongue is withdrawn. These in effect ¬kick start¬ the lips.
When the lips are touching, the first air that leaves the mouth must part the lips, thus setting the buzz in motion. This is a more efficient situation because every bit of air is producing motion in the lips. This technique can be easily refined on the mouthpiece ring. Either purchase a mouthpiece ring or use the rim from a screw rim mouthpiece, or find an old mouthpiece and use a hack saw to cut the rim off for use. With the buzzing ring, it is easy to clearly see if the lips are touching at the beginning of each note. Also, you will often see if tonguing is occurring between the lips. This should be avoided except in special cases such as extreme low register work. Even in the most extreme low register, most professionals prefer to tongue in as close to the normal position as possible, though some do tongue toward the tip of the teeth or even on the upper lip.
I often notice that attention to the ¬p¬ improves accuracy as well as cleaning up the attack.
In all tonguing, remember to maintain the air flow. The tongue should never be allowed to change our approach to the air stream. Maintain the feeling of constant open-throated exhalation and allow the tongue to cut through the column of air. I personally like to think of all tonguing as a slur which uses the tongue, thereby staying away from individual ¬puffs¬ of air for individual notes. Keep the follow through!
In multiple tonguing, the follow through is all important. I want the tongue to act as ¬a flag flapping in the breeze¬ on multiple tonguings. For double tonguing, I try to use ¬doe, go, doe, go¬ or ¬toe, go, toe, go¬. Again, the ¬o¬ is used for air flow and tone. When we shift vowel sounds for multiple tonguing, the tone changes. We want to maintain consistent tone quality in all articulations. For triple tonguing, I work primarily with ¬doe,doe, go¬ or ¬toe, toe, go¬, though some people find ¬doe, go, doe¬ or ¬toe, go, toe¬ to work easier for them. In very rapid or prolonged triple tonguing passages, the ¬doe, doe, go¬ may be amended to ¬doe, duh, guh¬ where the resulting sound changes will be less noticeable and the ¬roll¬ of the tongue produce by this aids speed and fluidity.
All articulation work should be done slowly. The key to excellent rapid articulation is perfect slow articulation. As with so many other skills, do not try to run before you can walk. spend time each day on articulation in a slow pace quarter note format. Accept nothing less than perfection. Any small blemish in slow articulation is magnified as we pick up the speed. Learn it slow, learn it correct and only send time learning it once!