Saxophone Tonguing Technique Training Guide: Advanced Exercises from Articulation to Staccato
I. Onset Practice: Say Goodbye to Delay, Achieve Crisp Sound Production
The core of onset practice is to allow airflow to build up momentum before sound production, then trigger the sound with a rapid tongue movement. The specific steps are as follows:
Tongue Placement: Lightly touch the very tip of the reed with your tongue, paying attention to controlling the contact area. The principle is "light touch," avoiding forcefully squeezing the reed.
Airflow Building Up: Slowly exhale, while the tongue remains firmly against the reed. The airflow is blocked by the tongue and cannot impact the reed to produce sound, creating a noticeable "holding your breath" sensation in the mouth. This is the key step in onset practice—the airflow is now built up, and a stable air pressure is formed in the mouth, preparing for instantaneous sound production.
Triggering Sound Production: Quickly remove the tongue from the reed, and the airflow instantly impacts the reed, achieving an immediate burst of sound.
This process is like using a faucet: before turning on the switch, sufficient water pressure has accumulated in the pipes, allowing the water to flow out the instant the switch is turned on; if you wait until the switch is turned on before the water is pumped from the tank, there will be a noticeable delay in the water flow. Similarly, when starting a saxophone note, the airflow must be built up behind the reed beforehand, not held in the lungs waiting to be triggered.
Once you've mastered the basic three-step start, you can add advanced steps to strengthen the tongue's "on/off" control:
Tongue repositioning: After producing sound, quickly and gently place the tongue back onto the front of the reed, returning to the breath-holding state of step 2. The sound will stop immediately.
Second trigger: The tongue quickly leaves the reed again, completing a second, immediate sound production.
Through this exercise, we can clearly perceive the tongue's function: when the tongue is against the reed, the sound is off; when the tongue leaves the reed, the sound is on. In saxophone terminology, the action of the tongue leaving the reed to trigger the sound is called tongue attach; the action of the tongue returning to the reed to terminate the sound is called tongue release.
Comparison of applicable scenarios for air attach and tongue release: Corresponding to tongue attach start and release, methods that solely rely on the start and stop of airflow to control the sound are air attach start and air release. In actual performance, the two techniques have clearly distinct application scenarios:
In most musical performances, the combination of tongue attach + air release is preferred, ensuring both a crisp onset and a smoother, more natural finish.
Tongue release is only suitable for playing very short notes, achieving a clean ending by quickly returning the tongue to its original position.
Air attach is rarely used, only occasionally employed when a special tonal effect is required.
II. Legato Practice: Refining the Delicate Control of the Tongue
After mastering the onset technique, the next step is to practice legato to pinpoint the contact position between the tongue and the reed, refining the delicacy of tongue movement.
The core of legato practice is maintaining a stable and continuous airflow during note transitions, while relying on subtle tongue movements to switch between notes. It is recommended to start with legato staccato, attempting to cover notes in different ranges—generally, the higher the range, the greater the demand for tongue control, and the more difficult the legato becomes.
During practice, focus on the range of tongue movement: the tongue should only make slight "lift-lower" movements, avoiding large swings, which would disrupt airflow stability and result in abrupt note transitions.
III. Short Note Practice: Start with "Short" Then "Fast," Solidify the Foundation for Staccato
After achieving a certain level in onset and legato practice, you can move on to short note practice to lay the foundation for subsequent fast staccato. Here, a core principle needs to be clear: practice "short" first, then strive for "fast." Only by making the notes sufficiently short can you gradually increase the speed of staccato.
Two points to note in short note practice:
Control speed, aim for brevity: When practicing, set the metronome speed to quarter note = 60. Don't pursue high speed; the key is to make each note short and clean, and to minimize the intervals between notes when staccato consecutively.
Appropriately increase volume to drive tongue speed: When playing, you can appropriately increase the volume. The increased airflow speed will drive the tongue movement speed, making the short notes crisper and clearer.
IV. Staccato Practice: Pursuing Evenness and Breaking Through Speed Bottlenecks
After mastering short-note practice, you can begin staccato practice, progressing towards faster staccato speeds. However, it's crucial to understand that evenness in staccato is far more important than speed.
Important points for staccato practice:
Prioritize Evenness: Ensure each note has the same duration and volume during practice, avoiding inconsistent speeds or volumes. This is especially important during slow practice, as unevenness is amplified and easier to correct – remember, producing even staccato is far more difficult than playing fast staccato.
Practice Across the Entire Range: Try staccato practice in the low, middle, and high registers. Generally, staccato in the low and high registers is more challenging and requires more time to refine.
Maintain Strong Blowing: Continuing with short-note practice, moderately increase the blowing volume, utilizing airflow to enhance the smoothness of the staccato.
Define a speed target: When the tempo of the notes can be stably reached to 116-120 for a quarter note, the performance requirements of most pieces of music will be met.