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Jazz Articulation, Video Lesson 1

8K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  Artem Zhulyev 
#1 · (Edited)
I've just make a video about jazz articulation on the saxophone
We added English subtitles (also Spanish )(you can choose them on settings )hope would be helpful. Have a nice day!



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#3 ·
Very helpful. This is something I had never given much thought to, but which my instructor got me working on right from the start (just started lessons a few months ago after a 35 year layoff). I especially like the idea of nuance in articulation regarding important notes. And also I can see more clearly why different players have a different sound. There are so many ways to articulate a phrase, and every player can make a different set of choices. thank you.
 
#7 ·
Very good video. I would add that in every instance where you are using your tongue in this video, the player could easily substitute for a breath pulse or a stronger breath attack on that note. Many great jazz players shape their phrasing like this, with very little tonguing at all. Warne Marsh and Garzone come to mind. Tonguing without using the breath to shape the phrase leaves the phrase sounding weak and undefined. Your examples were very good, though, and I think most students will copy the way you use your breath to shape your phrasing along with the tongue, so maybe I'm being picky!
 
#8 ·
Very good video. I would add that in every instance where you are using your tongue in this video, the player could easily substitute for a breath pulse or a stronger breath attack on that note. Many great jazz players shape their phrasing like this, with very little tonguing at all. Warne Marsh and Garzone come to mind. Tonguing without using the breath to shape the phrase leaves the phrase sounding weak and undefined. Your examples were very good, though, and I think most students will copy the way you use your breath to shape your phrasing along with the tongue, so maybe I'm being picky!
The bold on your statement is something I added.

Thanks for this note. I do not qualify as a great jazz player, but I do use very little tonguing due to a preference for playing legato and using mostly breath to emphasize notes.

Perhaps some of this is from being forced to tongue exclusively on recorder at a young age, and then the same in my first sax lessons......
 
#11 ·
Personally I am not so much in favor of the "tongue one, slur two, slur two, etc." tonguing that is so predominantly taught. When I listen to the greats (Hawkins, Webster, Young, Parker, Trane, Cannon, etc.) I do not hear this pattern except occasionally. What I hear instead is a constant variation in tonguing, slurring, breath accents, tongue accents, and furthermore much more rhythmic variation than is implied by the "tongue one, slur two, slur two, etc." concept.

In my experience, adhering to this one, two, two, etc., etc., concept leads to a lot of strings of eighth notes and a choppy feel to the line. I know it is the current conventional wisdom in jazz pedagogy, but I don't think it is the most direct path to convincing lines and compelling solos.
 
#12 ·
In my experience, adhering to this one, two, two, etc., etc., concept leads to a lot of strings of eighth notes and a choppy feel to the line. I know it is the current conventional wisdom in jazz pedagogy, but I don't think it is the most direct path to convincing lines and compelling solos.
True. However, in the video he made it very clear (at least to me) that this is just a starting point and it's the nuances that matter. And those nuances are what we hear from all those great players you mention. It is impossible to notate, or even explain really, the finer points of articulation and rhythmic variation. I thought Artem did a great job of demonstrating the difference, from when he first demoed the rather static "slur-tongue" technique, then demonstrated it in a more refined way.

I do agree that the way some of these concepts are taught is far too rigid. I think listening closely to a good player applying the concepts is the only way to really get it.
 
#18 ·
Hi Dan,
Thanx for Ralph's link - Ralph is great!
Normally, breath accent it's pretty clear but many people doesn't know what to do with the tongue in that moment. That's the point of doing this video, where I explain what the tongue does in different cases when basic tonguing doesn't work anymore.

Hi turf3,
thanks for your comment. Not sure if you'd seen the video beyond minute 1:37 because this of the ""tongue one, slur two, slur two, etc." it's only the standard explanation of articulation in jazz that I try to deconstruct right after, to say that there are plenty of cases where we play different up one's choice.

Thank you all for your comments guys, they help me to do the videos better:)
 
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