Klarinet Archive - Posting 000951.txt from 1998/03

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: touguing problem
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 01:34:09 -0500

On Sun, 15 Mar 1998, Eric Lin wrote:

> I often found my tonguing inconsistant from day to day practice, and I don't
> have the control of how fast I'm tonguing. Another problem is that my
> fingers can never match my tonguing, especially in a scale tongued fast.
> When people say keep the tongue high and arched back on top of the mouth and
> feel the side of the tongue touching the teeth, and keep the tip of the
> tongue close to the tip of the reed, I don't get the picture.

Yeah, visualizing that is a real pain - I know where you're coming from.
I had the tip to tip method pounded into me as soon as I got to NMSU, and
it just wouldn't work right....no matter what I tried. Then one day...I
got it right. I can't explain how it happened, but it did. I moved the
tongue to a different spot, and attempted to tongue tip to tip, and for
once, it was not uncomfortable or unnatural.

These excercises come in handy:
Using your finger, touch the very tip of your tongue.
Then touch the tip of your reed.
Then touch the tip of your tongue.
Then touch the tip of your reed.
Then touch the tip of your tongue.
Then touch the tip of your reed.

Then touch the tip of your tongue to the tip of your reed.

Memorize the sesantion of the tip of the reed on the tongue there. Then
experiment with positioning the rest of the tongue (you know, the part you
do JACK SQUAT with when you play) until having the tip of the tongue on
the tip of the reed doesn't feel uncomfortable.

This is how it happened for me. It may not work for you, but give it a
try. Who knows?

Also - 90% of articulation is AIR AIR AIR!!! If you do not start the
sound with a strong airstream, it will sound bad, period. You can tongue
ANY way imaginable and it will sound decent if you use good air.

ONe last excercise. Might work...dunno. Put on a cheezy grin. I mean,
really cheezy - bear your teeth nice and big. Now, open your jaw a bit,
enough to separate your front teeth about half an inch or so. Now, say
the syllable "Teeh" by bouncing the tip of your tongue off of the roof of
your mouth, halfway betweent he gumline and the soft palate. Hold the
syllable...'Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh'. Where your tongue is at while you
say that syllable is about where it should be when you play. Hope it
helps.

Shouryu Nohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe; ICQ 6771552
Coffee Drinker, Musician, Otaku, Jesus Freak, Admirer of Women
(Not necessarily in that order)
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Um, why don't you cover up?" - Katsuragi Misato