Tongue Tied: Relaxing Your Body’s Most Stubborn Muscle

“I can hear your tongue being tense.” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this over the past two years, I’d be considerably further along on my car payment. What has become increasingly clear to me over that time is that the difference between my sound, which is certainly respectable, and that of my teacher’s or the one that is in my head, is a taming of this muscular beast.

Many young brass players are taught from their musical inception to put too much faith in the tongue as it pertains to the initiation of sound and articulation of notes. The tongue is, of course, of critical importance, but most of us are aware that the air is chief in creating a world-class sound, assisting in range, and performing technical passages with direction and clarity.

These thoughts are not meant to address seasoned players not in need of the obvious statements from above. Rather, it’s a gentle suggestion for all trombonists to revisit their relationship with how the tongue functions throughout the fundamental processes of trombone playing to lower base-level physical exertion and improve efficiency. Consider the following examples and observe how you feel the tongue is working throughout.

Three-Note Slur: Starting on second line Bb, perform a three-note slur ascending to Bb on top of the staff and back down, and then reverse that, starting the exercise on the top Bb. At a reasonably slow tempo, I’d encourage you to avoid “slotting” with a snappy transition to each note in favor of imagining a gliss from one end of the exercise to the next. When comfort and clarity are achieved in a more relaxed state, speed up the exercise to a point that is challenging but where you can achieve the same result with the same relaxation. I find in my playing particularly, I am working to slot notes during fast flexibilities, which creates additional movement, limits the tempo I’m able to perform the flexibility, and negatively affects/dulls the sound. I’m currently of the belief that this is rooted in tongue tension; I’ve noticed an improvement in all areas as I consciously relax the tongue and focus on a constant flow of air past the lips.

High Register Note Starts: I can clearly remember the sound of a harshly struck tongue starting a note above F4, both from myself and my peers when I was in high school. Typically, if the tongue is relied upon to hit a note in the higher register, the sound will be less desirable, and the student could be paving the way for note-start issues further down the road. As a practice, I would find where a note can be achieved with an effortless air start, and as the sound begins, take notice of how neutral and relaxed the tongue feels. After a couple of repetitions, add the articulation back in while keeping the sensation the exact same. With patience and consistency of 3-4 times a week, I would advise a student to move up the register of the horn to their upper register and find the threshold where this becomes a real challenge. Take note of the ceiling of this ability and carefully work this sensation with the goal being ease and relaxation, particularly in the back part of the tongue/throat as the note is being sustained. I think this ability is what gives seasoned players the ability to play in the higher register while leaving the listener to ask, “Wait, was that passage actually *that* high?”

Lastly, trombonists of varying ability levels will often deemphasize their airstream during technical passages in lieu of a forceful use of the tongue. I am continually shocked by how much more clearly and easily fast passages may seem using the breath builder or incentive spirometer (pictured below). The use of these tools provides a visual aid (air being blown while the ball stays at the top of the cylinder) to match with a sensation that is air reliant over being tongue/strength reliant. If a student does not have these tools for whatever reason, simply blowing an air pattern of any technical passage while feeling a constant flow of air and a relaxed sensation of the tongue should suffice.

These ideas are a few primary ways a trombonist may consider their tongue while practicing. While obsessing over a particular facet of one’s playing is not advisable, checking in throughout a week’s practice on how this pesky muscle operates can lead to long-term gains in both sound and efficiency.