Klarinet Archive - Posting 000303.txt from 1997/10

From: "L. BORCHERT" <lborcher@-----.Edu>
Subj: Re: Tongue movement (was Take another Peek)
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 18:43:42 -0400

Mr. Galper,
I tried this on myself, (no more students today), and did not
have much luck with detecting tongue movement. I could see it move as a
watched in the mirror, but the tongue did not feel the same as
when I was actually playing.

This is a small anatomical disagreement, but only the lower jaw
moves. The upper jaw is attached directly to the skull, so the effect is
to actually lower the bottom jaw to accomplish the opening. While this
changes the opening to allow the teacher to see the tongue, it also
changes the basic opening of the oral cavity to a more open cavity, closed
throat position.
The movement of the tongue with the open oral cavity more closely
imitates the tongue movement when we are voicing or singing an "ah"
syllable. With the "eeeh" syllable or "teeh" when articulating causes the
movement of the tongue to be isolated nearer the tip of the tongue and to
be more up and down as you described.
Am I misunderstanding you or doing something in my own checking
that is incorrect?

Respectfully,

Laroy

Dr. Laroy Borchert
Professor of Clarinet
NMSU
Las Cruces, NM 88003

On Thu, 9 Oct 1997, avrahm galper wrote:

> Take another Peek!
> I have had some inquiries about a section of the posting "take a peek"
> It has to do with how to see what the pupil is doing when they are
> tonguing.
> Hold the pupil's chin with the forefinger of your hand; place the thumb
> on the mouthpiece.
> Then ask the pupil to open the mouth. The only section they can open
> would be the upper section, since you, the teacher, are holding the chin
> and the mouthpiece.
> Then ask the pupil to make as if they are tonguing. It will only take a
> few seconds for them to understand how to do this. Sort of a silent
> tonguing.
> With the mouth thus open, one can readily see what part of the tongue
> they are using and how.
> Most of the trouble I have seen comes from withdrawing the tongue INTO
> the mouth.
> In other words, touching the tip of the mouthpiece and reed with the tip
> of the tongue, and then withdrawing INTO the mouth.
> The tongue should really have an up and down movement. To the reed and
> down from the reed.
> Almost like what one thinks anchor tonguing is.
> There can always be variances. But that is basically the answer.
> Avrahm Galper
>