March 28, 2008 by John Ericson

Archived under: Teaching   |   Articulation, Eli Epstein

Epstein on Tonguing and Vowel sounds


This week a topic that has come up in lessons is that of vowel sounds and articulations. The only teacher I had that talked about this much was Eli Epstein. One time it really sticks in my mind him making the point that if he missed a note it was because he did not tongue in the right place. In his system the tongue walks up a little stairway from the teeth up to onto the gums as you ascend and the vowel moves from something like “toh”in the low range to “ta” in the mid and then to “tee” in the high range. He does not fully address this specific topic in the materials in his website, but there are other interesting excerpts from his book in progress that are worth checking out, and it will be addressed in his book I am sure.

My further observation is the tongue placement I perceive varies on any given note depending on the type of articulation I try to produce and the volume as well.

The point is not to tie yourself up in knots about this, above all you want to produce the desired sonic result, but check it out, it is an interesting thing to become more aware of and could help accuracy.

JOHN ERICSON has wide-ranging experience as an orchestral player, soloist, and teacher.» About John Ericson » More articles » Horn Notes Edition » Contact

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Epstein on Tonguing and Vowel sounds
Published on March 28, 2008 by John Ericson

Archived under: Teaching   |   Articulation, Eli Epstein
John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.