Klarinet Archive - Posting 001051.txt from 1998/09

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Position of tongue
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 14:51:19 -0400

On Sun, 27 Sep 1998, Roger Garrett wrote:

> I prefer to teach students tip to top (as in top of the reed)
> tonguing. Yes.....it is the very tip of the reed edge-on....
> HOWEVER,it is not with the clarinet angled in such a way as to
> achieve that goal. Rather, it is just below the tip of the
> tongue (slightly toward the underside) on the top edge of the
> reed.

This is precisely what I do, and what I teach to my students
(among other things). The two major points -- (a) that the
angle of the clarinet is not to be raised in order to achieve
tip-to-tip, and (b) that the point of contact on the tongue is
actually slightly beneath its tip -- are vital to understanding
this particular methodology. I've found that lightness of artic-
ulation, tongue speed, timbral flexibility, and many other aspects
of technique are obtainable at their optimum by perfecting the
approach to tongue and clarinet position that Roger describes
above.

Neil

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