Claude Gordon Brass Camp 1992 - Claude Gordon on The Tongue with Tom Brozene

Transcript Summary

Overview

In this 1992 Claude Gordon Brass Camp session, Claude Gordon teaches the importance of tongue level in brass playing, using Tom Brozene for demonstrations. Gordon explains K Tongue Modified, the role of the tongue in channeling pitch, and the relationship between Wind Power, tongue position, range, slurs, flexibility, tonguing, and lip trills. He emphasizes Herbert L. Clarke’s teaching that “the tongue rising in the mouth to make the mouth shallow is the knack of playing high tones.” The session also includes warnings against smoking, comments on correct practice, historical examples of great cornet and trumpet players, and encouragement to avoid negative attitudes.

Key Teaching Points

• Claude Gordon states that a brass player should not smoke because healthy lungs are essential for brass playing.
• Wind Power comes first; without air, nothing works. However, Tongue Level is presented as one of the most vital parts of brass playing.
• Gordon quotes Herbert L. Clarke: “The tongue rising in the mouth to make the mouth shallow is the knack of playing high tones.”
• The lips do not create range; Gordon teaches that the lips only vibrate and must not be abused.
• The air does the work, and the tongue channels the pitch.
• K Tongue Modified is Gordon’s term for tonguing with the tip of the tongue lightly resting at the lower teeth while the tongue works in the front of the mouth.
• The very tip of the tongue should not rise above the lower teeth, following the concept Gordon attributes to Liberati.
• Tongue development takes months of correct daily practice, not a few days.
• Students should not try to use K Tongue Modified immediately on jobs or performances; they should practice it correctly and allow it to develop naturally.
• Gordon explains that syllable changes, whistling pitch changes, slurs, flexibility, lip trills, and intonation adjustments all require tongue movement.
• Each note has its own tongue position, even if the movement is very slight and not consciously measurable.
• High notes are not produced by squeezing the lips or merely blowing harder; the tongue must rise while supported by air.
• Playing in the front of the mouth is emphasized. Gordon rejects concepts that place the tongue action too far back in the mouth.
• Double tonguing and triple tonguing should also happen in the front of the mouth, not with a large back-and-forth motion.
• Gordon stresses that practice must be done for the correct purpose. Speed, double tonguing, or triple tonguing should not be added to exercises designed to develop K Tongue Modified.
• Gordon uses historical examples to show the power, projection, range, and endurance of earlier cornet and trumpet players.
• He encourages students to stay away from negative people and not let criticism stop their development or goals.

Topics Covered

• Smoking and lung health for brass players
• Wind Power
• Tongue Level
• K Tongue Modified
• Correct daily practice
• Natural elements of brass playing
• The tongue rising to make the mouth shallow
• High range development
• Role of the lips as vibrators
• Air doing the work
• Tongue channeling pitch
• Front-of-the-mouth tongue action
• Lower teeth tongue placement
• Slurring from low C to G
• Whistling as a demonstration of tongue-level pitch change
• Arpeggio demonstration: A-flat, C, E-flat, A-flat
• Each note having its own tongue position
• Flexibility exercises as tongue level exercises
• Lip trills produced by tongue movement
• Pitch bending and intonation through tongue position
• Double tonguing and triple tonguing in the front of the mouth
• Single tonguing speed and Clarke’s tonguing ability
• Tongue Level Exercises page 8
• Brass Playing, No Harder Than Deep Breathing
• Systematic Approach
• Detrimental attitudes and persistence
• Pedal register study and K Tongue work

People and Sources Mentioned

• Claude Gordon
• Tom Brozene
• Jeff Purtle
• Herbert L. Clarke
• Dr. Larry Miller
• Barbara
• Earl Irons
• ITG
• Liberati
• Saint-Jacome
• Arban
• Carl Leach
• Miller
• Ziggy Elman
• Eby’s Method
• Walter Smith
• Frank Simon
• Del Staigers
• Méndez
• Mannie Klein
• Louis Davidson
• Frank
• Brad
• Tim
• Carter Pierce
• Freddy Martin
• Barclay Allen
• Lud Gluskin
• Jules Levy
• Brass Playing, No Harder Than Deep Breathing
• Tongue Level Exercises
• Systematic Approach
• How I Became a Cornetist
• Clarke Technical Studies
• Walter Smith book on lip flexibility
• Irons book
• Jules Levy book
• Haydn Concerto
• Moto Perpetuo
• Carnival of Venice
• Carl Fischer
• Frank Holton Company
• LeBlanc
• Columbia Broadcasting System
• CBS Orchestra
• Frank Morgan Maxwell House Time on NBC

Student Practice Applications

• Study the assigned material in Brass Playing, No Harder Than Deep Breathing and Tongue Level Exercises, especially the early explanatory pages on Tongue Level.
• Begin with page 8 of Tongue Level Exercises as Gordon directs, using it to develop the feel of K Tongue Modified rather than speed.
• Place the tip of the tongue lightly at the lower teeth. Do not make it rigid.
• Practice each measure slowly and repeatedly, using the rest to take the horn off the lips and stop.
• Do not double tongue, triple tongue, or use a metronome for speed on the basic K Tongue Modified development exercise.
• At first, only play the range written. Later, after development, gradually extend upward as Gordon describes.
• Use slurs such as low C to G to observe that the tip of the tongue stays near the lower teeth while the body of the tongue rises.
• Use whistling as a simple way to feel how the tongue changes pitch.
• Practice arpeggios and hold the top note long enough to sense where the tongue is positioned.
• Experiment carefully with holding a tongue position to understand that a note will not change correctly unless the tongue position changes.
• Do not try to force high notes by squeezing the lips. Keep the lips vibrating and allow the tongue and air to function correctly.
• For lip trills and flexibility, think of tongue movement rather than pinching the lips.
• When working on double and triple tonguing, keep the action in the front of the mouth.
• Focus on correct practice every day. Gordon repeatedly emphasizes that progress depends on how the student practices.
• Avoid negative attitudes and discouraging people; Gordon encourages students to persist in long-term development.