"Wah Wah" Sound

[ttf_sftrombone]

Hey all!

I've been having some trouble recently with the "wah wah" sound. I know the normal fix for this is a faster slide movement, but I was wondering what techniques others have used for overcoming this. If you all could please help out it'd be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[ttf_BGuttman]

You are going to have to be more explicit.

When you say Wah-Wah sound, usually it means using a plunger over the bell or a Harmon mute with hand over the small cup.

Are you trying to emulate Art Baron as the adult in Charlie Brown?  Playing Rhapsody in Blue?  General Big Band with notes topped with pluses and zeroes?

[ttf_Burgerbob]

Fast slide, consistent airstream, light tongue.

[ttf_Noah0815]

I mean a sound caused by a slow slide, causing a small gliss in-between two notes in the same partial. Sorry for the confusion.

[ttf_Doug Elliott]

"Slow slide" is not usually the problem at all.  It's two or maybe three different things:

Articulating with air - never a good idea.  Keep the airflow constant, don't start and stop it on each note.  Only articulate with the tongue.

Chewing - opening your mouth as you start a note and closing it at the end.  Keep your jaw position constant.

Slide and tongue out of sync - one is ahead of the other.  This is extremely common, and not too hard to fix once you learn to hear it.  The biggest problem is when it sounds normal to you.

[ttf_ddickerson]

Play a scale staccato in tempo, slow (quarter notes, 60 BPM). In order to get a good sound staccato, you have to have everything timed exactly right to make it clear. Synchronization of all the elements. If any of the elements are missing, you get a pear shaped sound.   

[ttf_ddickerson]

Play a scale staccato in tempo, slow (quarter notes, 60 BPM). In order to get a good sound staccato, you have to have everything timed exactly right to make it clear. Synchronization of all the elements. If any of the elements are missing, you get a pear shaped sound.