Re: “I believe the tongue is simply rising into the air column and slightly interrupting it, it may not be completely stopping it, when playing legato / softer passages. I strive for keeping the air moving through the phrase and only interrupting the air as little as possible with the tongue to achieve the desired articulation.”

I’ve never thought about that before- I’ll have to think about that and work it out on the horn. I’m having trouble conceptualizing this, I think because I am visualizing the tongue as an on/off switch. How can there be variety if there is a simply binary action?

My attempts to tongue softly result in lots of airballs and a lack of clarity. Breath attacks do provide a different sound, and I practice them and feel comfortable. I’m specifically talking about what should be happening to get a lighter start to a tongued note.