Hey there, I'm just starting to learn the trumpet..kind of teaching myself. I dont suppose someone would be so kind as to explain tonguing to me? I just cant *get* what you're ment to do with you're tongue..I find it very difficult to move it at all while playing. Thanks for any help anyone can give, Ed.

try not to think about actually moving the tounge
try to say tu while playing - other syllables may be used for different affects such as jazz tounging and legato but the basic thing to do is say tu - dont stop buzzing to do it.
hope this helps

This is such an important aspect of playing that you really would find it worthwhile to have a lesson so a teacher can check that you are doing it correctly. Having someone demonstrate and talk you through it is so much easier than trying to explain in text, but I'll have a go anyway:-

As Jon says, you need to make the tu (too) sound with your tongue. Practise this without your instrument first. Take a deep breath, say toooooooo (i.e. one long sound, with one breath, giving a constant stream of air). Now, you need to make that same long stream of air, but you want to "cut" it in places with your tongue, by "saying": "too" "too" "too". Remember, it's just one breath at the beginning, and you need to keep the airflow going. Now use your mouthpiece, buzz a long note and think "too" with your tongue to start each new note. When you've had a go with just the mouthpiece and think you've got it, try it with the trumpet.

The idea behind tonguing is so that you can have an "attack" on a new note without taking a new breath for each new note. If you are making each note with a "fuh" or "huh" sound, i.e. without your tongue, this may seem to work quite adequately initially, but if you want to sound half-decent and cope with faster playing, you need to get this sorted.

QUOTE (Ed. @ Jan 6 2005, 12:52 AM)

Hey there, I'm just starting to learn the trumpet..kind of teaching myself. I dont suppose someone would be so kind as to explain tonguing to me? I just cant *get* what you're ment to do with you're tongue..I find it very difficult to move it at all while playing. Thanks for any help anyone can give, Ed.

One thing you should check is where your tongue is in your mouth. On the horn, it should be on the hard palate for high notes and a bit further forward for low ones. I haven't played trumpet for 52 years so it would be better for one of the expert players to tell you more precisely where yours should be. If your tongue is too far forward it might get involved in the lip vibrations, in which case it will never be free to do its proper job.