Tom's Numbered Tonguing System

Tom's Numbered Tonguing System

I first was taught the concept of numbered tonguing by perhaps the greatest pedagogue to ever touch a "slushpump" , Buddy Baker. I have taken his concept and adapted it to suit my needs and the needs of my students. In teaching this system to hundreds of students, I have seen how very useful it can be for every trombonist.
Music will demand a variety of articulations from the performer. Conductors, too, will insist upon immediate and precise interpretations of note-shaping. Like the spoken language, articulations define the musical syllables we speak. To be understood and to communicate to your listener, you will need to have in your arsenal a diverse palette of styles.
This system will allow you to do just that.

With daily practice, your trombone playing will take on a new life. Clarity, interest, inflection, expression, subtlety, and musicality will begin to shine through your playing.

Any questions about this system should be sent to Tom Gibson at tom@trombonelessons.com or by simply clicking below:

For the sake of argument, I have developed 10 distinctly different styles of articulation. There are infinite degrees of subtlety within these 10 styles. I label my most LEGATO style as a "#1 Tongue".

Conversely, I call my "pecky", SUPER-STACCATTO style a "#10 Tongue".

That means that my "#5 Tongue" or DEFAULT tonguing style, falls right in the middle of the spectrum. Buddy Baker defined this style as:

THE LONGEST POSSIBLE NOTE WITH GOOD FRONT

More often than not, your musical life will revolve around this #5 Tongue. When the composer has indicated no particular style of articulation, this is the style you'll use.

Great orchestral players have absolutely mastered this concept of "longest possible note with good front". It would serve you well to pay close attention as you listen to these players! They play "BRICKS" of sound with a uniformity and steadiness of tone throughout the entire body of the note.

These very well-defined sonic events are a result of a number of factors working in beautiful harmony (pardon the pun....but it is indeed a beautiful harmony)

An undeniably clear mental image of just how you wish to shape these notes is important. Here we have yet another reason to immerse ourselves in a cornucopia of musical styles on a regular basis. Lots of styles. Often.

And........this is where the realm of imagination steps in and elevates us from trombone operators to human beings (with all our faults and attributes) who are attempting something akin to art. Fates willing, our audience will perceive it as such. But in any case, our imaginations MUST perceive it as such. Else our music has no chance of becoming what we so wish it to be.

So, the first and most crucial factor in producing good note shapes is:

IMAGINATION

The second factor is, as you may very well have guessed: AIR.

Steady, wonderfully even, perfectly paced air. Blowing into a pinwheel kind of air. This is a terrific exercise, by the way. Spend a buck at the county fair and get yourself the best brass study aid ever invented.

A "bouncy chin" is a telltale sign that your air is anything but steady. Still the chin. Practice by saying "Dah,Dah,Dah" out loud with your lower jaw completely stationary. The only motion sensed is that of a relaxed, freely wagging tongue. The tongue, I've been told, is the second strongest muscle in your body, next to the heart. When it tenses, it tenses hard. This is a symptom I see in myself, and one I see a lot in students. I believe it bears watching by us all. Relax that very strong muscle and you're a long way towards well defined sonic events of your own.

The "daylight" created between the notes, say of a Number 7 style, is a matter of where the tongue strikes and how long it stays up, thus blocking the steady flow of air. When you practice the "Dah, Dah, Dah" syllable out loud while keeping the chin still, take note of where the tongue strikes. You should feel it right about where the upper teeth meet the gumline. I envision a "red/white" line. I then have my relaxed, round tongue touch precisely that point. And it stays there, blocking a steady, now compressing column of air. When I need a sonic event, I let it drop. Since I've been working on my breath attacks, the lips are nicely poised to make a centered pitch. They, too, are feeling pretty relaxed...... in the center. The corners are firm.

As soon as the sonic event has the duration my imagination insists upon, the tongue goes back to the red/white line. Its default position on a #7 tongue, then, is UP. This might be contrary to what many of you have been taught. Empirically, though, it appears to be the truth. In fact, on the 1-10 Numbered Scale I use, EVERYTHING higher than #5 has a default position of UP. This makes "space" happen. That space makes rhythm happen. Both the attack and release define rhythm. This concept of "Default UP" is a very good way to exercise control over fronts and backs of every sonic event you utter.

The compression built up behind the UP tongue makes FRONT and BODY happen. The more space I need, the faster and shorter the drop.

The higher the Number tongue, the more forward I strike. I move, then, below the red/white line for everything higher than 5.

Conversely, I move behind the red/white line for Lower Numbered Tongue, a.k.a more legato styles. The tongue's default position goes to "Down" and the syllable softens to "dAH" as opposed to "Dah". The striking point, or more accurately "brushing point", is behind my front teeth and I envision tapping the roof of my mouth, just above the gumline, with the upper side of my relaxed tongue.

This is obviously less obstructive of the airstream. In fact, I don't believe the seal is ever "airtight" like it must be on a #6-10 style. Less obstruction= less space, less compression. This results in rounded shapes you see below.

The astute reader may raise objection at this point and protest: "what about 'Tah, and Kah, and Tu, and Ku'....."

Try this:

Place your hand gently on the throat and say: "Tu". Then "Ku". Then "Tah" and "Kah".

Now try "Dah, dAH, Gah, Goo". It might take careful thought, but you should FEEL why I choose to never use those syllables. Relaxed tongue, relaxed throat, and precise rhythm doesn't allow for it. I know a number of terrific players that claim they do indeed use these syllables, but I do not.

Many things improved when I just made the decision to move away from these syllables for good. What I once confused with stage fright mixed with Valsalva maneuver mixed with uncentered aperture mixed with............it went away. Rhythm got better over night. My work was and is far from over, but I truly believe I spared myself months (years?) of frustration and confusion.

I don't wish to start a fight with brass players I greatly respect. My advice, though, is get away from these too-percussive, too-stressfull HARD consonants. A very appropriate staccatto can be mastered with "Dah". It will take a little time to develop.........but it will induce very little tension through the tongue, lips, and throat.

Careful study paired with a musically vivid imagination will enable you to exercise supreme control over every shape you make. You will undoubtedly discover a few shapes you never knew you could make. You then should start to hear more places where these shapes might be quite effective. Time alone with the horn will reveal a myriad of shapes to help your music be more communicative, more coherent, and more affect-ive. Employ those shapes every chance you get. Your knowledge of styles will guide the imagination.

The factors working in harmony on a beautifully shaped sonic event, then:

Imagination, Air, and Tongue

To assist the most important, imagination, graphic images can be quite helpful. These are some of the shapes I associate with certain sonic events I hear and wish to recreate:

On to the Tonguing Exercises and Orchestral Excerpts

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