Building Listening Skills in the Band, Articulation Part 1

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Spring 2001 Volume 3

Building Listening Skills in the BandArticulation – Part 1by Richard Willaims & Jeff King

Why This Is Important Characteristic tone, articulation, intonation,precision, and balance are fundamental qualities thatare evident in all great musical performances. As banddirectors, our goal is to develop a teaching method thatadvances our students' understanding, awareness, andperformance skills in regards to these five fundamentalgoals. Articulation is how musicians speak through their horns. The ability of an ensemble to match articulationallows the per-formers to communicate each musicalthought with clarity. In working on articulation withstudents, band directors should have several goals inmind:

1. Build a common concept and vocabulary.2. Enable students to ultimately take responsibility for

articulation.3. Develop daily drills to advance articulation skills.4. Apply concepts to every aspect of the rehearsal

and band literature.

Common Concept and Vocabulary Even though many people are visual learners,musical concepts must be demonstrated or verbalized tobe understood. What does a resonant, beautifullyarticulated, full-value note really look like? Granted, we

can’t see it, but we know a good one when we hear it. Adescriptive vocabulary that is consistent, simple, and “tothe point,” combined with the following block-shapegraphic may help your students relate to attack-sustain-release principles.

An attack is the beginning of the note — it is the pointat which air is released into the horn, and the beginningof vibration. The goal is to produce a resonant, vibrant,instant sound. In order to achieve instant sound, studentsmust have a basic understanding of sound and vibration.

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The sustain of a note is all of the sound that happensafter the first instant of attack. Once again, vibration isthe key. Relating this concept to the “block-shape”encourages students to keep the sound and pitchuniform. This is accomplished by using a smooth, steady,and directed air stream. Students will need to keep theface and instrument still while maintaining a consistenttongue position and vowel sound in the throat. To

achieve a stable tone and pitch during sustained notes,focus on these concepts:

1. Think of the sound (air) going past the embouchure— too many times, air explodes on the attack andthen fails to carry through.

2. Students must know and maintain a consistentvowel sound (controlled by the back of the tongue)and maintain a consistent tongue position (thisaffects the air speed) throughout the note or

exercise.3. To maintain a resonant sound, the lips, or reeds,

must be free to vibrate.4. Keep the embouchure set, the body tension free,

and the instrument still.5. Visualize a target for the air stream and keep it

moving forward.6. Use the same vocabulary to describe the desired

tone: resonant, vibrant, centered. Also describewhat to avoid: tight, fuzzy/airy, dull.

A clear, coordinated release is often the mostoverlooked part of this process. This is where thestudents need to concentrate and listen the most. Thegoal, as illustrated by the block-shape drawing, is to stopthe sound without any change in the tone quality or pitch.Here’s a check list for releases:

1. Keep still! Any movement of the embouchure,instrument, or body may affect the sound or thepitch.

2. The air should travel “full speed” to the silence.Many times students anticipate the release byslowing down the air.

3. Maintain the tongue position and the vowel soundat the point of release (this will also stabilize thepitch).

4. Keep all of the chambers open on the release. Thisincludes the teeth/oral cavity and the throat. Alsokeep the rib cage up and the posture elevated.

5. Line up releases! Stress that a note, followed by a

rest, is always held until the first beat of silence.

It’s important to state at this point that all notes do nothave releases. If you are playing a phrase or exercisethat requires a series of notes to be played





consecutively, you should stress that the air at the end of the note being played must touch and balance the air of the next note. The mechanics of articulation outlined in this articlefocus on fundamental attack-sustain-release principles.Whether we’re working on long tones, flexibilityexercises, or the march for the next concert, our studentsneed to be aware of the concepts that shape articulation

on their instruments. It is important to create time inevery rehearsal to focus on posture, playing position,breathing, and quality “starts and stops" to notes andphrases. All of these issues are interconnected and willrequire consistent reinforcement if the ensemble’s soundand clarity are going to improve. In the next issue of KjosBand News, we’ll explore matching styles of articulationand rehearsal strategies that will promote the applicationof these articulation principles to all musical settings.

About Richard Williams

About Jeff King

Copyright © 2001 Neil A. Kjos Music Company. All rightsreserved.

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Building Listening Skills in the Band, Articulation Part 1

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