Anchor Tongue

[graeme]

Trumpet player Clint Pops McLaughlintalks in some of his articles about the Anchor tongue, that is when the tip ofyour tongue is always behind the lower teeth and you do your tonguing with theTOP of the tongue against the top teeth or gum line. This causes a natural andconstant tongue arch. Has anyone tried this on euphonium ?

[bbocaner]

I used to do it exclusively -- it's not as clear as tonguing with the tip and, for me, there was a speed limitation I couldn't get past.

[graeme]

I used to do it exclusively -- it's not as clear as tonguing with the tip and, for me, there was a speed limitation I couldn't get past.

Thanks bbocaner did you find any positives

[Art Lewis]

Yes, as a standard position I have my tongue behind the lower teeth. It is not "anchored" but stays there freely. I do it in combination with the jaw in a slightly forward position (lower and upper teeth aligned). I adopted this sort of embouchure from playing Trumpet/Flügelhorn. Years ago these changes really helped me to improve flexibility, speed of tonguing and range. There is lots of discussion about tongue arch, tongue anchor, jaw position etc. on e.g. Trombone Forum and on Trumpet Herald. Very helpful insights! The mechanics of embouchure are the same for all brass instruments. Trumpet, Flügel, Cornet, Frenchhorn, Trombone, Tuba, Euphonium... I always find me putting the mouthpiece the same way on my lips. Position of tongue and jaw too are very consistent throughout the spectrum of brass instruments. For a couple of years now I´ve almost exclusively played Euphonium. But if I want to check something on my embouchure or push the limits of range a little bit, I´ll grab my Flügelhorn for a week or two.

[bbocaner]

The positives for me were that it came naturally to me and was very comfortable. It's also extremely easy to play reed instruments such as saxophone where the mouthpiece extends into your mouth and can interfere with the tongue.

[Eupher6]

I find myself doing that on tuba, especially in the lower register, but not on euph or bass trombone.

[booboo]

Thanks bbocaner did you find any positives

I find this useful for playing tongued legato passages.

[massmanute]

Trumpet player Clint Pops McLaughlintalks in some of his articles about the Anchor tongue, that is when the tip ofyour tongue is always behind the lower teeth and you do your tonguing with theTOP of the tongue against the top teeth or gum line. This causes a natural andconstant tongue arch. Has anyone tried this on euphonium ?

I wonder if we could restart discussions on anchor tonguing. My teacher is not too keen on this technique. However, I am finding that it seems to work better for me to use anchor tonguing for the high notes, probably because of the natural arch of the tongue. Therefore, I find myself naturally shifting to anchor tonguing when playing high notes, such as approximately above the G that sits right on top top of the treble clef staff.

[Big Ian]

The tip of my tongue ‘anchors’ against my bottom lip - I wonder if anyone else does the same?