Hi friends; it’s that time again. Legato time! Why? Because after more than sixty years of trying to buck the [see “Idiots Guide” above], IT AIN’T WORKING!
There are basically 3 ways to approach the problem of legato on the trombone.
- Move the slide so quickly that there is no sound possible between notes.
- Drop the air stream quickly between notes so the smear is not audible.
- Use legato tongue to mimic a natural slur.
Any one of these will address the problem, however with varying results. Moving the slide as fast as possible is another way of saying, “I totally give up trying to play smoothly and fear the legato police will come and arrest me!”
Method number 2 is the old European tradition of decreasing the air stream instantly to hide the smear that will happen on two notes in the same partial. This results in a loss of resonance and the slur not matching the natural slurs. Germany’s Paul Weschke espoused this method in the early part of the 20th century.
The 3rd and by far best method is using exactly the required amount of legato tongue to allow a full sound between pitches while letting the player choose the exact amount of time between notes according to the style of the music. This time would vary widely because music from different styles and eras require a different legato to match the characteristics of the period.
The fatal and common flaw in today’s world of trombone playing is to use all three at the same time to obliterate any chance of a modicum of sound to somehow survive the onslaught!
The advantage of using number 3 is that it gives the possibility of maximum resonance between notes and also the possibly of different amounts of time between notes according to the style demanded by the music. Another advantage of legato tongue is the variety of strengths it affords us to fit the amount of legato to the tessitura required to be played. The middle and low registers require a much stronger legato tongue than the upper register because of the distance between partials.
Again, Weschke’s statement to not use legato tongue because the player might “push it too far” ignores the fact that a wide variety of degrees of legato tongue are available to us. However, we must value the thought behind the admonition of not pushing the legato tongue too much. The exact right amount would be Nirvana wouldn’t it – a la Murray McEachern and so many other lyrical trombone icons.
One of the amazing aspects of McEachern’s and other masters of the liquid line was that you couldn’t tell exactly when a note changed. Just how was this achieved? First, where is the attention of the greatest players when playing a legato phrase? Answer: what happens between notes! Another aspect of the great legato players is not only how the legato tongue is used, but when it’s used. By “when,” I mean exactly when does the note change in-between two slurred pitches? Most people who use legato tongue on legato slurs wait until the arrival note for the legato tongue to be audible, because the slide movement is always faster than the speed of the air. In order to have the change of note arrive where I believe it belongs, exactly midway between notes, the legato tongue needs to be applied as soon as the slide starts to move to the next note.
A “note” of caution; I am not advocating a slower slide movement! I am advocating a faster air stream that exactly matches the movement of the slide, and that will change your life!