Warming up to jazz articulation

Exploring Articulation in Music

In these next few lessons, we're going to look at moving into music a little more specifically. One of the things in my book, A Modern Approach to Playing, is the concept of "dad," a type of articulation I use when I play my jazz eighth note language. Recently, I've discovered that my "dad" articulation is very useful in other styles of music as well because it creates the illusion of legato.

The Importance of Legato

This, of course, is the best way to continue playing with your airstream, mainly in your tongue position. The central tongue position should be moving, but the incorporation of an articulation system, using the tip of your tongue with a simple single tongue, does not disturb the legato airstream. Instead, it can reinforce the legato and introduce a strong rhythmic approach into your legato lines.

So, when you're going "da da ya da ya," what you don't want to do is disrupt the airflow. Your single tongue involved in "dadaya" should not stop the air. Therefore, we need to develop a single tongue that fits into the articulation system, which will differ a bit from classic trumpet playing.

Warming Up

To develop this, we will practice warm-up exercises that lead to "da da ya da ya." If you jump straight into exercises from my book without warming up, there's a strong possibility that you'll disrupt the airstream. Often, this can sound quite good, which is problematic. Many of our hero trumpet players do some very fundamental wrong things. It's okay when they are strong, but when they stop practicing, the articulation can become more brutal, leading to unnecessary strain.

Focus on Breath Accent

Before I dive into "da, da, da, da, da," let's warm up the components that fit into this articulation system. The first thing we'll work on is the single tongue, known as "hadar." This may be groundbreaking for some trumpet players.

Let's develop a breath accent, which will speed up the air behind the single tongue, resulting in a fast and gentle "da." Here's how we'll do this:

1. Breath Accent Exercise:

   • I'll refer to my book for the first exercise from Exercise 4, which is only in one key.
   • We will play it out of tempo to really emphasize the breath accents.

   "When I say belt out, I'm not talking about volume; I'm talking about fast air."

   As we practice, just before each note, use a fast breath accent. Slow down on the note just before where you'll apply the breath accent.

   • Example: At every punchy note, that's an F. That's your fast "H."

Moving to Single Tongue

Next, we will focus on saying "H" followed by "D" (the single tongue). This should sound like this:

"So do that a few times to get used to that feeling."

This fast breath accent will help propel the tip of your tongue to the back of your top teeth.

Applying the Exercise

Now, let's apply this with the trumpet:

1. Middle C Exercise:
   • Start by doing a crescendo on the C note.
   • At about 75% of the way through the crescendo, go "hada."

This helps ensure proper contact from the breath accent with your tongue. The idea is not just doing the "d" but also ensuring your tongue fires out of the way of the airstream, allowing minimal interruption.

"A strong, steady stream of air, with pulses of fast air, is the goal."

This ensures that your interaction with the airstream does not stop it altogether.

Conclusion of the Warm-up

We can now move on to the next lesson, which will introduce the use of "dadaiya daya." Before that, I'll show you some "chop relaxers," which are essential for changing directions when exercises become tiresome.

Chop Relaxers

1. Exercise Variations:
   • Fast, gentle articulation.
   • Triple tonguing exercises.
   • Use false fingerings to keep the air flowing faster and slower.

"Use these relaxers between the exercises we've done. They help keep everything loose before returning to whatever exercise you're working on."

Good luck!