Problem Timing of Tongue Slaps
Sun, 04/19/2020 - 02:42
Hi David,
I am working on Tongue Blocking Study 2.
I believe the sound of my slaps is fine, but my timing is off.
I start my breath on the beat, so the chordal sound is on the beat, and the slapped note itself is slightly delayed.
12 years of woodwind instrument training means that in my mind, I am on time if I get sound out of the instrument at the time of the bar.
I've already tried working with a metronome at 60bpm, playing only a repeated single note, and still I manage to play the single note behind the beat.
Do you have any suggestions for exercises so I can correct my timing?
Best,
Cornelius
Hello Cornelius. Treat the chord as a pickup, playing the chord ahead of the beat, and the single note on the downbeat. You could set your metronome to swing, and start your breath on the upbeat... this may be a rhythmic reminder to get that chord in earlier. In the end, you won’t start your chord quite that early, but it’s pretty close, so this will probably be a good first step to getting you in time with the technique.