"ghosting" technique

[horn dawg]

can anyone help me understand how the technique of "ghosting" is achieved? Do you use the tongue or a half valve method? If I'm not explaining myself enough you could listen to Clifford Brown's solo on Donna Lee where he does this "ghosting" on a Bb from the end of chorus 1 into chorus 2.

?

[bachstrad72]

I like to think of it as "swallowing" a given note, meaning the note is there, but faintly. Some people think of it as a subito piano on a certain note, but the physical feel of "swallowing" the note gives me the desired effect.

Just my two cents

[PH]

The example you mention is using the "doodle" tongue. It is sort of like a modified double-tongue. You say doo-dul-ooo-dul, etc. (or some people say tud-ul). The "dul" syllables produce the ghosted effect.

[bachstrad72]

Thanks, you explained it alot better than I did. The 'dul' sylabal as you called it, is what produces a swallowing effect for me, to produce the ghosting.

[horn dawg]

thanks both of you for those responses. In applying your technique I can straight away see and hear it working!

[AccentOnTrumpet]

You know what, I bet you when Clifford did that little trick he didn't even think about what he did as "ghosting". It was just a little something he came up with, and that lick suits his style so it sounded cool. To me it just seems like a fast burst of air slightly stopped by the tongue to get that funny sound he did there. There probably isn't much else to explain about it.

That Clifford Brown performance is absolutely amazing, I think his solo on "A Night In Tunisia" is one of the best solos ever recorded. It's sad because it makes me think of how much more Clifford could have done . The performance of "Donna Lee" is great though...Man, they played that tune really fast.