Klarinet Archive - Posting 000205.txt from 1998/06

From: <CmdrHerel@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] The "uvular tongue" and a gentle reminder
Date: Fri, 5 Jun 1998 10:52:02 -0400

In a message dated 98-06-05 07:41:24 EDT, hickling@-----.Net writes:

<< All it involves is starting a tone with a "kuh" instead of a
"tee." That gives a clear, clean but gentle beginning to a tone. I often
use it in preference to a "tongue tongue," especially in passages where one
wants a smooth, quasi-legato feeling. It can never replace the normal
tongueing technique, especially at up tempos, but it's a valuable part of a
clarinetist's armament. >>

Every time alternate tonging techniques are brought up on the list, my
shoulders start to knot up...

Not that these techniques are not valid! On the contrary, I have never felt
that too much knowledge is a bad thing, and I myself fully enjoy some "stupid
clarinet tricks" (which have some great applications and really are not stupid
at all. I just use that term for fun.)

The danger I want to warn about is to look for the magic cure to tonging in
these techniques. I feel that double and triple tonging should be explored
AFTER a player has fully exploited what can be done with a single tongue!
(Insert about eight more exclamation points here.)

The ability of the single tongue is all too often never developed to its full
potential. So I offer a challenge:

I DARE you to get your single tongue to sixteenth notes at 168 MINIMUM! Clean
and clear and light and perfect!

I DARE you to get your single tongue absolutely legato and breathtakingly
light in the altissimo register! (And I mean altissimo up to A at least.)
I'm working on this now, btw. :)

Fully controlled at any dynamic, to whatever degree of shortness you require,
and slow or fast like the wind.

And THEN double tongue. Triple tongue. Flutter tongue. Do it all. I think
I'm going to go practice now... :)

Teri Herel

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