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This is a topic that is really central to tonguing but not necessarily well taught or understood.
Breath attacks can be a tool
To begin, for all articulations more gentle than the sforzando Farkas notes in The Art of French Horn Playing that the “air seal is broken more or less gently” depending on the exact musical context. But what of the articulation does not speak well? Then
…the embouchure might very well be at fault. How often the player blames the tongue for unclean attacks when all the time the lips are not set correctly to produce the required notes! No amount of conscientious, clean tonguing can produce a neat attack when the lips are not set to vibrate at the correct speed. When the lips are set right and the notes beautifully “centered”, the horn will actually speak without any sort of tonguing. So be sure that faulty attacks are not the result of incorrect lip tension.
Farkas does not come out and say it but this passage does speak to the idea of breath attacks being a tool for testing if the lips are in fact set correctly. He expands on this line of thought at the beginning of his chapter on articulation in The Art of Brass Playing. He notes that a problem is that attacks don’t always “catch” at the proper moment and
Obviously, it is important to develop this ability to focus the lips before each note, particularly before the first note of a group.
One of the finest exercises advocated by many of the older German brass instructors is the practicing of attacks without aid from the tongue. More frequent use of this exercise would clear up many of our so-called tonguing problems. For perhaps ten minutes a day play slow scales (andante half notes), starting each note with a slow, gentle push of air, using the articulation “ha”. The idea is to let the air through the lips, at first without causing any sound, and then, with a quick but gentle crescendo of air, make the air catch the lips and start them vibrating exactly on the pitch intended. If the pitch is the least bit too high or too low, the reluctance of the instrument to start vibrating will be felt very distinctly. But when the lips learn to focus accurately on the pitch, the instrument will sound, quickly and easily, on the slightest zephyr of air. The lightest touch of the tongue would now be sufficient for a clean attack because the instrument and lips are vibrating in sympathy.
Breath attacks and the finely honed attack
A point found in the addendum to Essentials to Brass Playing by Fred Fox also relates to the use of breath attacks to finely hone the articulation process.
The ideal attack is one that just seems to start evenly. Not with “Waa” or an explosive “Taa”. Whether it is soft or loud, it just seems to begin smoothly. A sharp razor blade can cut a hair. An axe which is properly sharp can also cut a hair! In other words, a finely honed edge is important…. By the same token the lips should be as sensitive at the start of a note whether it is being played very loud or very soft.
…Pick a middle register or medium high note on your instrument. Start it without the tongue, just use air. You will probably find there is a delay, a momentary hiss before the sound actually starts. If this proves to be so, it indicates that the vibrating area is not completely set and that it is depending on an extra hardness or percussiveness to the attack whether soft or loud.
Repeat the air attack. This time try to get the lips set completely before any air passes between them. Now the vibration will start instantly. With the vibrating area this finely honed, the tongue is no longer needed to build up excessive pressure to ‘whack’ the lips in order to get the vibration started. The tongue can now be used as a gentle focus point to start notes with finesse.
The tongue is not necessary to start a note
We have already noted in this series that Barry Tuckwell in Playing the Horn looks at the inhale as a part of the bigger picture of the preparation to play a note, and there advised that “it is a great mistake to use the feel of the mouthpiece rim to form the embouchure; it prevents one from really learning the feel of the face muscles and the varying degrees of tension required.” He advocates setting up the lips very late in the cycle of breathing and playing, and also in this regard mentions breath attacks.
So far I have not mentioned the tongue. The tongue is not absolutely necessary to start a note, but it makes attack more precise. It complicates breathing inasmuch as we tend to think of the sound starting with the mouth when we should be thinking of it starting at the pit of the stomach. So try to play isolated sounds (any note will do) by saying ‘HOO’. This is the basis for all articulation. After several repetitions of the same note gradually bring up the tongue to the hard palate just before the ‘HOO’. Try to resist the temptation to say ‘TOO’, as this will mean that the tongue is being used to stop the air and will buildup up [sic] unnecessary tension. Rather think of ‘NOO’; in other words, use the tongue to slice off the rough edge build up of air.
It will be found that the stomach muscles become more proficient after a short time, and you should soon be able to repeat the muscular contraction quite quickly. Of course, very rapid attacks can only be controlled with the tongue.
Going back to the MRI studies, I think there are some issues with the above quotes that you should be spotting. I am thinking specifically that the glottis is starting notes in so-called “breath attacks,” it is not starting all the way down in your lungs with a simple exhale.
Coordination of all the elements is a benefit
In any case, to conclude our look at this topic, Frøydis Ree Wekre in Thoughts on Playing the Horn Well also advocates for the breath attack as a part of coordinating the lip action. In warming-up an idea presented is to
Start playing with the air and lips coordinated, that is play with a breath attack. Add a very gentle tongue to the starting process later if you like.
It all has to be coordinated as one unified motion, this the important idea to take away from this entire discussion. Tonguing simply adds a little precision.
So is that all there is on tonguing? No! We will be back soon with the critical topic of staccato, one on which sources have quite varied advice.
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