Klarinet Archive - Posting 000500.txt from 1996/09

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Embouchure Help.
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 1996 17:47:56 -0400

On Mon, 23 Sep 1996, Michelle =P~ wrote:

> Last year one of my professors told me I was slap
> tonguing and he tried to help me fix it but I still am slap tonguing.
> Then today while practicing, I noticed that the tip of my tongue
> actually goes under my lower lip.

What you've described is not slap tonguing, but anchor tonguing. Your
teacher may have used a misnomer to describe the "sloppy" percussive
effect you've been getting thus far, because "slap tonguing" is an actual
technique with a certain sound effect. I've a friend at Eastman who does
it remarkably well. As for your anchor tonguing, I've never heard of a
successful professional player who used the anchor tonguing technique.
It inhibits clean articulation, and speed is limited. The old Reginald
Kell philosophy of "Tip of the tongue to the tip of the reed" is the
credo by which I live, and I take it quite literally.

> I think I have been using 2 much lower
> lip because when I tried putting less lip today I got a louder sound and
> fuller.

The amount of lower lip which one takes in does affect the level of
achievable embouchure flexibility, as well as sensitivity of the lower
lip. How much or how little you take in is an individual matter, but a
good teacher should be able to put you in the ballpark, after which you
adjust a little bit, literally more or less, to find the amount which
works in optimum fashion for you. Experiment for a while. What you must
guage is how the amount of lower lip you take in affects certain other
areas of your playing. Many players' Achilles heel is tongue speed,
which can be helped by a simple alteration in lower lip. Things like
tone quality, connections between notes in legato passages, clarity of
articulation - these things may also be affected by the different
sensations resulting from experimenting with the amount of lower lip you
take in. The lower lip is a sensitive part of your embouchure, pivotal
to facilitating vibration of the reed. Too much or too little can make
all the difference in the world. Just keep practicing. Over time,
you'll find what works best for you and the various areas of your
technique which are affected by it.

> But it sounds
> like a beginner. Am I finally finding the correct embouchure and will I
> be able to tongue mor fluidly???

When one makes a significant change in technique or approach, it's very
natural for there to be some "backsliding", but this apparent retrograde
motion is actually forward-directed, so stay with it and practice until
it begins to feel natural. Taking in less lower lip will affect the
entire feel of your embouchure and the muscles must adjust to this.
Practice placing the tip of the tongue to the tip of the reed - or an
approximation of this technique - and use it in your warmup routine.
Start very slowly and develop a habit of relaxation. Even with proper
technique, most players are frustrated with sluggish or fuzzy tonguing
because their tongue is too heavy or tense. If you incorporate relaxation
into your playing habits, it will pay healthy dividends in the future.

Growth on the clarinet is a series of hit & miss events, where you settle
in at a given level and then discover something which moves you in a new
direction. 'Sounds like you've just made one of those discoveries. Are
you currently studying privately? It's always good to have affirmation
from a qualified observer to know that you're practicing something new
correctly.

And yes, it sounds like you're finding the correct embouchure. Remember
that the embouchure is an aperture which should support and focus your
air stream. Let the *air* induce the reed to vibrate - not the muscles in
your embouchure. Now that you're using the tip of the tongue on the
reed, fluidity of tonguing results from focused relaxation, where there
is very little movement of the tongue inside the mouth. This will take
time to develop, but continue to work on the foundation of using the
tongue tip in conjunction with allowing a focused air stream to create
the sound.

Perfect practice makes perfect. Best of luck to you.

Neil

   
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