Anchor Tonguing

[Nick Washburn]

What are the pros and cons of Anchor Tonguing? I have heard that professionals such as Allen Vizzutti, Jens Lindemann, and Wynton Marsalis are using this tonguing technique. Is it worth looking in to?

[kehaulani]

What if you searched -
search anchor tonguing. source: trumpet herald, claude gordon forum ?
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[trumpetjens]

Anchor tonguing is what I know it as. Heard the term in high school through word-of-mouth (pun fully unintended) from my trumpet teacher Bill Dimmer who simply suggested I mess around with it and, very wisely, made no big deal out of it at all so experimentation felt fun and not pivotal to some higher form of success. Let's agree that the internet was a developmental idea for researchers and scientists at the time and not used by plain old trumpet folks or ANY folks. Let's also agree that it was about 15 years before I activated my first AOL account with a floppy disc that was being handed out for free in a shopping mall. OK? Clear on the timeline kids?

So, me and my high school trumpet buddy, Dean McNeill (brilliant player and educator now running the show at the University of Saskatchewan) just thought we were cooler than the other kids because we were doing something different. Little did we know that we were laying the foundation for something that would really only make sense years later.

Anchor tonguing is literally the foundation for EVERYTHING that takes place for me when it comes to articulation, tone quality and ease of playing lyrically in the upper register...or any other way in the upper range for that matter. The mythical high register is for the gifted few who were simply 'born to play there'. What a pile of garbage! I heard that saying when I was young (yes, I had a CompuServe account prior to AOL and my first professional trumpet was a Czech made 'Musica' which I only bought because it had a first valve saddle ring like my band teacher's Bach. Should you ever find one of these Musica instruments out there, do the right thing...play 'Taps' on it and then just let go, accidentally of course, as it leaves your hands before plunging from some bridge into a waiting river...I promise you it will have a better life there!).

Where was I? Oh yes, high range! First step: whatever that range is for you is NOT the end, it is the beginning! The beginning of making new discoveries about yourself and what you do and more likely don't do in that register. As a famous trumpet player (Gary Guthman) also told me in high school, 'if you can play a G on top of the staff, then you can also already play the G above that'. I know, another simple statement that harkens back to that other apparent cliche "I suppose some people are just born to play there". Wrong! We all have to figure things out through diligence, enthusiasm and intelligent curiosity.

Hence, the return to Anchor Tonguing. By messing around with something cool and fun in high school, I was also discovering a critical co-ordination technique without realizing it. Here is the 14 year old mind at work "I will place the tip of my tongue where the lower teeth and gums meet and just leave it there" Period! Try it. It will probably feel a little unusual at first but then again, so does losing a tooth and constantly shoving your tongue into that new space which then feels normal. Then when the tooth is replaced you shove it back there again all the time until that very quickly also feels normal. In other words, don't freak out! One of the simplest ways to try and simulate the feeling of anchor tonguing is by playing slurred chromatic scales. Place the tongue and don't move it...you do NOT need articulation because you are slurring. Please note how many of you may find the tongue floating around aimlessly inside your mouths once you have left the first note because it naturally wants to retreat away from its new resting place because the tip has always been active for articulation...which you do NOT need for this exercise. By leaving the tip there it activates the back of the tongue to do what it needs to be doing naturally when leaving earthly cornfields for aspirations of the promised land known as high notes. Oops, getting ahead of myself...just start with slurs and not moving the tip of the tongue...place it but do not press it.

The actual tonguing part will make much more sense once you have the right position so start there. That's still right, you will feel a 'new' tongue tip (how is that for a double entendre?) once actual articulation begins.

Don't believe me? Wynton and Vizzutti are both on my speed dial and those digits are.........................going to be handed out at a different time........like when floppy discs return!

Jens Lindemann
www.trumpetsolo.com

[trombahonker]

To offer a slight variant on that episode - I think it's also important to emphasize that just because something works for Jens, Vizzutti, and Wynton - does not mean that it will work for everyone. So experiment, try things with your tongue, and whack at it for a while. If you can't figure out how to get a crystal clear articulation all over the horn, seek guidance from a teacher who can help you. Maybe anchor tonguing just doesn't work for you.

Also, it's possible for this to be fluid-territory in terms of tongue position. For me, anchoring anywhere from about the top of the staff down results in poor clarity of articulation (but some improvement of other things, especially timbre consistency), but anchoring above the staff yields crisp, clear articulation and a brilliant, supported higher register. So it doesn't have to be "one way".

~Aaron
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[thecoast]

[Al Innella]

H L Clarke described what he called his unique way of tonguing in his book of characteristics studies. What he described was anchor tonguing. Tip of the tongue down and articulate with the center of the tongue against the roof of the mouth. So this isn't something new!

[patdublc]

Based on time that I have spent talking with Jens, Jose Sibaja, and Jeanne Pocius on this subject, I slowly converted to mostly "anchor tonguing". I can still tongue just fine with the tip behind my upper teeth.

Of course, I'm not any of these people in terms of trumpet accomplishments, but I do find this setup to create a much more stable environment for all other aspects of trumpet playing.

I've got more to share on this topic but I'm going to send it to Jens first to see what he thinks.
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Pat Shaner
Play Wedge Mouthpieces by Dr. Dave exclusively.
Experiment with LOTS of horn makes and models.

[EBjazz]

Here's a video that fully explains it:
https://bolvinmusic.com/k-tongue-modified/

Eb
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Eric Bolvin
http://bolvinmusic.com/product/the-modern-jazz-trumpet-method/
www.bolvinmusic.com

[kevin_soda]

I'm no Jens Lindemann, but, anchor tonguing has made a huge difference in my trumpeting. It may have even been one of his clinics where I first heard about it; I can't remember exactly. It's provided stability more than anything. I used to struggle a lot with intervalic playing but anchor tonguing put all the notes on the airstream. It's taken me a long time and I'm still getting better at it but it's been worthwhile. It's critical to trust your air in this endeavor so I've found breath attacks to be a valuable supplement. Breath attacks also should set up the oral cavity in a natural shape for each person which lends itself well to anchor tonguing.
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Kevin

[Jaw04]

I also play with the tip of my tongue down. I did it through experimentation. It was not how I started playing, I started out playing with my tongue in a higher position and tonguing at the top of my top teeth. I did not learn anchor tongue from someone, although I may have been influenced to do it by reading stuff on the internet, I don't really remember exactly.

I agree with kevin_soda that you have to trust your air and erase some bad habits when experimenting with anchor tonguing. The tongue placement changes your lip and jaw position slightly. The way your embouchure and air used to do things with a different tongue placement/lip position is different. You need to relax and trust your air AND your ear. Ideally, anchor tonguing should allow you to be able to reach notes with less effort and with less strain. My advice is to avoid feeling like you need to lock your tongue in a specific position. Stay relaxed and just be aware of the tongue being down, experiment with articulation placement, oral shape, and dynamics.

I don't think it's the kind of thing where there are cons. If it makes playing easier, it improves your playing in every way.

[delano]

This is quite a frightening thread for me, more in particular the post of Jens Lindemann. I played for years with anchor tonguing but never got good results. Fast tonguing that way was not really possible, the biggest problem was that I could not getting the attacks light. In fact by anchor tonguing I always saw the bell moving up and down a bit. So I changed more than a year ago by learning tonguing against the upper side if the upper teeth and I made real progress. Especially for a jazzy way of playing my articulation is quite clear and nice light.
But now I read how important anchor tonguing is for the articulation, tone quality, ease of playing and probably more, I am feeling doubt about my choice. Is anchor tonguing a general right way of playing or does that depends on the persons involved. What is wisdom?

[EBjazz]

Well, everyone is different. And if you think about "anchoring" you're not doing it right. The tongue is not anchored. Bad term that has screwed a lot of people. That being said, there are many players who don't use K-Tongue Modified who have done quite well. There are also many who don't care where their tongue is that have done well.
However, if put to the test, most players will realize the natural position of the tongue behind the lower teeth as they ascend.

Eb
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Eric Bolvin
http://bolvinmusic.com/product/the-modern-jazz-trumpet-method/
www.bolvinmusic.com

[Jeff_Purtle]

Claude Gordon taught this but he hated the term "anchor" tonguing because it really doesn't feel anchored or rigid or locked in place. I believe it's one of the most crucial elements that enables other things to work correctly. When the VERY tip of the tongue goes up to the top teethe it disrupts the arch in the very front of the tongue that is needed to play accurately and easily in the upper-register.

Claude instead used the term "K Tongue Modified" because he wanted to convey the idea that you are not using the VERY tip of the tongue but more back. By doing a good bit of K tonguing and getting it clean you will experience how it is more in the middle of the tongue. As tonguing gets cleaner and faster it tends to move more forward in the mouth.

Single tonguing speed will improve but it's all a process. Some of the things that hinder people are what their daily practice routine covers. Many things we practice are interconnected. For example, if you do a bunch of stuff that makes you get stiff then when you try to tongue faster you will get inconsistent response and the tonguing will be slow.

Things that will help players get used to KTM are using models or various articulations like K tonguing by itself and playing things such as Clarke's Technical Studies with K tonguing and basic scales. The first 25 lessons in Claude Gordon's Daily Trumpet Routines and the section of Saint-Jacome starting at p. 157 are all excellent to help if you do all the models.

I personally "tried" KTM about a year before meeting Claude Gordon. Someone had told me about it at a summer music camp and I bought Clarke's Characteristic Studies and read the text about his single tonguing. I tried it an and gave up because it just didn't work for me only trying it a few days. When I went to my first Claude Gordon Camp he mentioned it and I finally had more motivation to stick with it. A couple weeks before my first private lesson with Claude he told me to play the first exercises in his Tongue Level Studies. It's just repeating a Low C, taking a breath and then a Low C# and working up chromatically and then back down. You have to treat it as something new.

Of all the lessons I have taught I have maybe had 10 students or less that instantly saw changes. For most people it's a slow consistent process. It works but you have to be patient. Once you experience how well it works you will be so sold on it that no other way is even considerable.

KTM single tonguing gives you such a secure feeling of placing notes that you eventually feel like you can't miss a note. That's not possible with tonguing any other way.

Jeff
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Jeff Purtle
Trumpet Lessons Online since 2004, teaching since 1983
MultiTouch book on Claude Gordon
+1 864-354-3223 iPhone w/ FaceTime
Skype: jeff_purtle

[tptptp]

Since age 13 (now 69), I've been very good at double and triple tonguing. It came pretty easily. Runs, complex passages, intervals, etc.
But, keeping the tip behind the lower teeth reduces the speed by half...And I've worked on it. How can I get past that?
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Craig Mitchell

[EBjazz]

[Jeff_Purtle]

See above.

How fast can you do K tongue? Can you play all over your normal range with K tongued? As an example I can probably do K with 16ths at around 130 bpm or faster up to at least a High F clean enough that most people wouldn’t notice I’m doing K.

That’s why I mentioned models above. You might already be doing KTM and just too focused on trying to keep the tip in one place. Claude would describe it as the tip feeling like it’s floating around the tip edge of the bottom teeth. The main point is that it’s not going up and interfering with the arch. Without that arch in the very front of the tongue you can’t really play up above a High F.

I hope that helps and gives you some stuff to think about when practicing. Claude also used to say “Watch The Tongue” because he wanted you to learn from your practice. It’s so easy for people to get caught-up in theory about how things should work when we should all be putting in more time practicing and observing and learning from our daily practice. That’s why the process matters so much. If it were as simple as being told the right information then we could go to a clinic or take a lesson and instantly learn some secret that makes us way better. Knowing how to practice is the main point.

Jeff
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Jeff Purtle
Trumpet Lessons Online since 2004, teaching since 1983
MultiTouch book on Claude Gordon
+1 864-354-3223 iPhone w/ FaceTime
Skype: jeff_purtle

[Jeff_Purtle]

I can hear a distinct difference in articulation with someone doing KTM or not. It’s more in regards to the centering of the pitch over the actual attack of the note. You can do various degrees of marcato to legato articulation according to style and musical preference.

Jeff
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Jeff Purtle
Trumpet Lessons Online since 2004, teaching since 1983
MultiTouch book on Claude Gordon
+1 864-354-3223 iPhone w/ FaceTime
Skype: jeff_purtle

[Trumpetingbynurture]

[trpt4him]

[EBjazz]