Using the tongue as a valve means that your throat can be open all the time and the air pressure can remain under constant pressure from your diaphragm muscles. By using this approach there is no need to get into the bad habit of using your throat to control the air. The water is under pressure, opening the tap removes a valve which allows the pressurised water to gush out. This is the same principle as opening a tap to let water out. Note that the tongue is not used actively to start the note, it is the removal of the tongue which causes the air (already under pressure) to rush out and across the reed into the mouthpiece.

Place your tongue back against the reed to stop the sound.

Without losing the air pressure remove your tongue.

Breathe in to provide a pressurised column of air.

The conventional way to play a single note consists of doing several things in the right order: Provided there is already air pressure inside your mouth (which there should be) this air then rushes into the gap between reed and mouthpiece which the removal of your tongue has made available. What actually starts the note is the lack of tongue, ie the removal of your tongue from the mouthpiece tip. The word articulation refers to the way wind players use their tongue (or not) as part of musical phrasing and the first thing I’m going to say about this may sound a bit odd: you don’t start the note with your tongue. All the tone exercises on the site and lots more Buy Now Tonguing Taming The Saxophone Vol I - Tone Without Tears.

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