[Q] What are your thoughts on tongue placement in the mouth? I am getting lots of conflicting opinions on this. Some people think it should be high to facilitate good articulation, and others think it should be low to open up the oral cavity???? and sound ??? I guess...I'm not really sure why some people think it should be low.
[/Q] ------------------------ I'm not Jonathon but as usual I'll give my opinion. Start flutter tonguing without the horn or mouthpiece. Move your tongue forward and back until you find the point the tongue moves the fastest. That should be your ideal spot for fast articulations. As to normal articulations, Dale talks about the tobacco tongue. In our current generations I call it the pop tongue since hopefully kids don't know about the sensation of spitting a piece of tobacco. Basically the idea is to release the tongue as if you were spitting a hair off of the tip of the tongue. This creates a slight 'pop' from the air release though not harsh. The best point for this type of articulation is at the edge of the teeth. Using this technique one can play very legato lines with definition of individual notes. Where many folks get into trouble with articulation is in slow legato passages. It is counter-intuitive but the fingers must move the valves firmly no matter the slow tempo and the tongue must always quickly get out of the way of the air flow. Many "no speakies" are caused by a slow tongue and poor air support. The Jack Attack! (54 days until freedom)
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