So, what does Articulated Air mean? Some teachers may refer to articulation or tonguing as an isolated discipline in trumpet playing. The reality is that everything comes back to the way that we control our flow of air through the trumpet. This is nothing new, of course, we know that the air is what fuels the machinery of our music-making. So why, do we as teachers so often talk to students in terms that can be confusing and take the emphasis away from the only truly crucial element?
The use of language in teaching, particularly with younger and developing minds is crucial to give clarity of message and to make sure that the correct mental triggers are in place to help them in their development. This is a concept in which I have a great interest and have worked extensively with students and teachers to develop a way of communicating sometimes complex ideas in a simple and straightforward way.
The relaxed and full breath at the start of any phrase is always crucial and should be foremost in the player’s mind, no matter how challenging the exercise may appear. A beautiful sound is only possible from a sense of relaxation and should always be aspired to. I try to avoid words such as blow and push, as they automatically trigger a sense of tension in the mind and body. Instead, we think about releasing the air through the trumpet, and setting up a steady flow of air.
Articulated Air is a concept that adds the tongue (in various shapes and positions depending on what you are playing) to your airstream. The focus as ever is on the breath in and supporting the flow of air out. We set up the air to flow and allow the tongue to articulate as the icing on the cake.
In this publication, I have developed several exercises that encourage this natural use of articulated air. Many of them also include aspects of traditional airflow and flexibility work to make sure that the emphasis remains on this. In our standard repertoire of standard methods and study books (including Arban, Clarke, Schlossberg, Vizzutti etc.) there are many excellent exercises that can and should also be used. It is important though to always focus on this relaxed air. This can easily be forgotten during an intense practice session.
Below are 4 chapters from the book (Articulation Slur Warm-ups, Circle of 5ths Articulation Patterns, Dotted Rhythms and Irregular Patterns) which you are welcome to download and use for free:
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