by Mike Harcrow
To articulate is to make distinct, more so or less so in music as the style and other aspects of a performing situation (acoustics, number of players, etc.) may require. A very basic articulation diagram for musical styles of the Classical and Romantic eras might look something like this:
How wind players accomplish these (and other) indicators is considered a function primarily of the tongue. If we think more thoroughly about what really happens as we articulate, however, we will discover at least five articulation activators: the tongue, the fingers, the rotors, the lips, and airflow.
THE TONGUE
A horn player’s tone is distinctive, in great part, because our bells face away from the audience and we have our hands placed in them for functional purposes (the subject of another discussion), including tone control and manipulation…not to mention playing nearly into our own concert attire and, possibly, into curtains! These factors contribute to some disadvantages in performance, most notably (in light of this discussion) to a loss in the clarity of tonguing.
Most horn players use a letter “T” as their articulation consonant—and occasionally a letter “D” if a more lyrical passage is made more beautiful by using the softer articulation. I was once, however, quite shocked and disappointed in listening back to a recording of myself in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in which all the repeated pitches in the famous solo were so unclear because of my choice to tongue softly that the measures [mm. 11, 15, 19, and 23] sounded like long tones rather than distinct rhythms!
Tonguing must not be mushy; neither ought it be harsh or explosive. The default concept for tonguing should be clarity.
THE FINGERS
Tonguing is quite often done while fingering different notes. If the tongue and fingers are not perfectly coordinated, the effect of articulating is that of popcorn popping. We must develop an ergonomically comfortable left-hand position that is relaxed—remembering that the hand is attached to the wrist and the wrist to the arm, in order to avoid any possibility of developing carpal tunnel syndrome or any other repeated stress injury—while maximizing our ability to move the fingers quickly in synchronization with the tongue. “Fly-away” fingers or fingers flattened onto the rotor levers are not efficient in their movement, so a grip which can hold an overripe tomato without rupturing it is most desirable. The fact that a majority of horn players have a dominant right hand, moreover, means that most of us have a bit more to overcome in developing the best facility in finger-tongue coordination. The easy solution is to practice single and multiple tonguing daily in conjunction with valve work (starting with scales).
THE ROTORS
Closely related to the fingers as articulators are the instrument’s rotors (or valves), since these are what the fingers operate. What really needs to be said here is that rotors must work well. Rotors must be well oiled so that they are quick (light oil) and quiet (more viscous oil). Linkages, mechanical or string, must be in excellent repair. Neoprene, rubber, or cork bumpers must be placed and trimmed so that the rotors open and close with the best possible internal alignment, and they should be neither too squishy nor too hard.
THE LIPS
Most of us will agree that every single pitch we play has a different and distinct “buzz.” The generation of sound by the aperture is how brass players create pitch; placement or positioning of the pitch in the buzzing aperture is how we accomplish note changes, with or without valves, and, to some extent, pitch control. I recall sitting in the front row in a small concert hall in Seoul, South Korea, to watch a very famous colleague conduct his own performance of a difficult modern horn concerto played from memory. In getting the chamber orchestra started, he completely mis-fingered much of the challenging opening passage yet still got every note right! That is the power of the buzz.
AIRFLOW
None of the first four articulators work their best without optimum airflow. Indeed, there is no buzz without it; but we must also use a copious amount of air for both power and nuance. Our entire torsos function as big air pumps. Additionally, as we read in chapter 2 of the well-known Yogi Science of Breath (made known to American brass players by Arnold Jacobs), “breath is life,” that is, oxygen makes every functioning part of our bodies work well. How much do we need the focus and concentration to multi-task as performers, the energy for the creation of sound and for stamina, and generosity of tone and beauty! We are generating little tornados in our horns every time we play well. Air is foundational to what we do; air gets us—as articulation masters—and the music going.
