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Serious problem with tonguing?

5K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  noahm2203 
#1 ·
I've been playing sax for almost 5 years and have made various honor bands around my area. I have a pretty good classical tone but lately I've realized that I have been tonguing with the roof of my mouth. I've never had any problems with this and manage to get good results on all of the fairly challenging pieces I play but I've been wondering if it's worth changing my technique. What are the downsides with tonguing with the roof of my mouth? How is tonguing on the actual reed more beneficial? Will it be possible to get the same results with my technique as the ones with the conventional method? All input is appreciated
 
#3 ·
How does one tongue with the roof of their mouth?
Do you mean that instead of touching the tip of the reed with your tongue you are making a 'kuh' kind of 'sound' in the back of your mouth?
I knew a guy that did that. Very slow and mushy sounding articulation.
The only way to fix it is to practice touching the tip of reed with the tip of your tongue. It will take a while but eventually will become second nature
 
#5 ·
Nope it's not in the back, it's actually nearer to the front. I always tongue with the tuh and duh sounds and my articulations are pretty crisp. I'm even working on double tonguing and it seems to be going okay. However, I am practicing the conventional method but am having some problems adjusting and am wondering if it's worth the taking the time to start over or improve my current method.
 
#7 ·
It would be great to hear you. Can you record an etude that shows off articulation, like one of the fast Ferlings?
 
#9 ·
My articulation has really slowed down with age. Listening to stuff I did nearly fifty years ago is eye-opening - 16ths at 120 on the one tune that sticks out. So, if you can tongue incorrectly and do that, I would say stick to what you do. How can anything new develop if everybody is forced to do exactly what everybody else does?
 
#10 ·
Tonguing can be tough. Not only can it be tough to do, it's pretty tough to teach. I had a friend in high school who played alto in the marching band. He couldn't tongue to save his life. Literally couldn't tongue at all. For a period of a few years, he took lessons from arguably the best woodwind player in the city, and even she couldn't get him to tongue properly. I ended up being the section leader, and dealing with him was hard when everything he played was slurred.

Fast forward a few years, a rising fourth grader came to me for summer lessons. I had never taught saxophone before, and I was teaching this kid from Day 1. He was sounding half decent, had good embouchure, and could play a scale or two, so I decided it was time to teach tonguing. I really struggled to describe how to do it, and he wasn't getting it at all. I told him to take a week to practice what I told him. He came back the next week and could tongue nearly perfectly. I was astonished and relieved. I'm certainly not taking credit for it. By the end of the summer I did have him playing songs that the elementary school band wouldn't touch til the end of the upcoming year, and I will take some credit for that :)
 
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