[Saxophone] How to Increase Tonguing Speed: From Concept to Physical …

SUMMARY

Key takeaways

To increase tonguing speed, it is important to tongue at the appropriate position based on your tongue length. If you have a longer tongue, use the middle portion of the tongue rather than the tip, which keeps the motion compact
To achieve fast tonguing, maintaining stable air pressure is essential. If air pressure is unstable, even fast tongue movement will result in choked sound or uneven rhythm
To improve tonguing speed, it is important to minimize tongue movement and shorten the contact time with the reed. By reducing unnecessary motion, speed naturally increases

In saxophone performance, improving tonguing speed is an essential technique for expanding your range of expression. Fast tonguing is required in many situations, such as rapid passages and consecutive staccatos, but simply moving the tongue faster can result in choked sound or unstable rhythm. To increase tonguing speed, it is necessary to correctly understand the concept of tongue technique and experience how to maintain stable air pressure.

Factors That Determine Saxophone Tonguing Speed: Tongue Position and Air Pressure

To increase tonguing speed, it is important to understand two key factors: tongue technique and air pressure. Many players try to touch the reed with the tip of their tongue, but if you have a longer tongue, using the middle portion rather than the tip keeps the motion compact. By using the middle portion of the tongue, the distance of movement becomes shorter, and speed naturally increases. Additionally, maintaining stable air pressure is essential for achieving fast tonguing. By consistently maintaining constant air pressure, the sound continues to resonate steadily even when the tongue moves quickly.

Key Points for Improving Tonguing Speed

The key points for increasing tonguing speed are keeping the tongue movement compact and maintaining stable air pressure. If you have a longer tongue, using the middle portion of the tongue shortens the distance of movement, and speed naturally increases. Additionally, by focusing on shortening the contact time with the reed, preparation for the next tongue stroke becomes faster, enabling consecutive fast tonguing.

Minimizing Tongue Movement: Experiencing Compact Tonguing

To improve tonguing speed, it is important to minimize tongue movement and shorten the contact time with the reed. Many players tend to move their tongue too much when tonguing, which prevents speed from increasing. Keeping the tongue movement compact reduces unnecessary motion and naturally increases speed. If you have a longer tongue, using the middle portion of the tongue shortens the distance of movement, achieving more compact tonguing.

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Cautions When Practicing Tonguing Speed

When trying to increase tonguing speed, forcing yourself to go faster can make air pressure unstable, causing choked sound or uneven rhythm. In particular, if the tongue is pressed against the reed for too long, preparation for the next tongue stroke is delayed, making consecutive fast tonguing impossible. Practice gradually increasing speed with a metronome, and it is important to increase speed while maintaining stability rather than forcing yourself to go faster.

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Causes and Solutions

Problem 1: Using the Tip of the Tongue Results in Larger Movement

In tonguing, using the tip of the tongue increases the distance of movement, making it difficult to increase speed. Especially for players with longer tongues, using the tip increases the distance to reach the reed, resulting in larger movement. Solution: If you have a longer tongue, use the middle portion rather than the tip to keep the motion compact. The distance of movement becomes shorter, and speed naturally increases.

Problem 2: Unstable Air Pressure Causes Choked Sound

When trying to increase tonguing speed, air pressure becomes unstable, causing choked sound or uneven rhythm. Solution: Maintaining stable air pressure is essential for achieving fast tonguing. Practicing by adding tonguing while maintaining the same air pressure during long tones is effective. By maintaining the image that the airflow never stops and only the tongue moves, you can maintain stable air pressure while achieving fast tonguing.

1. Check your tongue position: If you have a longer tongue, use the middle portion rather than the tip to keep the motion compact
2. Maintain stable air pressure: Practice adding tonguing while maintaining the same air pressure during long tones
3. Shorten the contact time with the reed: Maintain the image that the tongue only touches the reed for an instant, and keep the contact time with the reed short to prepare faster for the next tongue stroke
4. Practice gradually increasing speed with a metronome: Start at a slow tempo and gradually increase the tempo to develop stable high-speed tonguing

In saxophone performance, improving tonguing speed is an essential technique for expanding your range of expression. If you have a longer tongue, using the middle portion rather than the tip keeps the motion compact, and the distance of movement becomes shorter, naturally increasing speed. By maintaining stable air pressure, the sound continues to resonate steadily even when the tongue moves quickly, and keeping the contact time with the reed short makes preparation for the next tongue stroke faster, enabling consecutive fast tonguing. Practicing gradually increasing speed with a metronome allows you to develop stable high-speed tonguing. By putting these methods into practice, fast and accurate tonguing on the saxophone becomes possible, enabling expressive performance. Moving from concept to physical sensation is the key to improving tonguing speed.