Klarinet Archive - Posting 000328.txt from 1999/09

From: "David Smith" <david-patty@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] tonguing
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 19:33:55 -0400

Dear Harmony,

This is probably the MOST difficult area of teaching and playing the
clarinet. But it can be taught!

First of all, air support. The student must be filling her lungs and
supporting with the muscles all around the lungs and abdominal area. The
lungs not only expand out, they expand down. One must feel oneself pushing
down and out and this must be consistent.
Poor playing habits, such as lifting the shoulders must be stopped here if
they have persisted, because lifting the shoulders is antithetical to
expanding the lung and abdominal cavities; creating unneeded tension in the
upper body.
Second, positioning of the tongue on the reed, and the release of the tongue
from the reed. With beginners, I like to say "tip of the tongue to tip of
the reed". And that the tongue should get off the reed as quickly as
possible. One can keep percussive effects for later.
One metaphor for clarinet tonguing lies in the articulation difference
between piano and organ. On the piano, the articulation is created
primarily by how one strikes the key, whereas on the organ, it is created by
the release of the key. If the tongue remains on the reed for long it
pretty much closes things up, so the tongue can be seen much as a valve (?)
opening an organ pipe; when one releases the key, the pipe is open. When
the tongue is removed, the clarinet sounds.
I would suggest slurred scales in the second register for ensemble, and
individual home practice ( C, Bb, D ) with the concentration on the support
issue. Next, have the students play two half notes on each pitch of the
scale, stressing that the tongue INTERRUPTS the air flow which is
continually supported. Emphasize that the support of the air by the muscles
does not end lr fluctuate merely because the tongue is doing something.
Follow this by four quarter notes on each pitch, with the same idea in mind.
This also is where good long tone warm ups come in very handy. A student
will not be able to concentrate on the proper tongue movements if he is
still struggling to get air support techniques correct. I have found that a
scale or two in the chalumeau (low) register done in really slow long tones
helps students focus exclusively on warming up these muscles and getting the
air supported correctly from the beginning.
I tell my private students that the air, fingers and tongue are like
neighbors in a commuter suburb. They all live next door to each other, but
they don't have anything to do with each other. What the tongue does, does
not interfere with the air and what the fingers do does not interfere with
the tongue. They each just do their thing without bothering the others. It
is in practicing these principles individually, once the band teacher has
stressed them over and over again in the classroom, that the section will
sound much better when tonguing together. As for those geese, they will
have migrated south, not just for the winter, but for good.

I hope you find this helpful.

Sincerely,
Patty Smith

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org