Tom's Numbered
Tonguing System
I first discovered the concept of "numbered"
tonguing from the wonderful 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 more than a hundred 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
trombonelessons@aol.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.
A graphical image of each style can be helpful in allowing
your imagination
to bring these articulations to LIFE.
If I could draw or paint these tonguing styles, they'd look something
like this:
#1 Tongue 
#5
Tongue #10 Tongue
|
"smeary, smooth" |
"longest possible note w/ good front" |
"pecky" |
** Notice, there's no "daylight" between
the notes when we play a #1 Tongue,
just a slight bit of daylight when we play #5 Tongue, and a LOT
of space between notes when we do a #10 Tongue.
As you practice your scales, or Arban's, or Rochut's, or whatever
music you're working on at the moment, try mixing and matching
these styles. Try to get VERY good at discerning very subtle shifts
up and down the spectrum from #1 to #10.
This is a FLUID continuum of articulations
and there are not 10 specific "slots". There are, as
mentioned earlier, infinite degrees of very subtle differences
along the scale from #1 to #10.
MASTER THEM ALL and be able to
call upon them in ANY MUSICAL SITUATION!
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