Klarinet Archive - Posting 000350.txt from 1999/09

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: Re: [kl] tonguing
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 07:56:34 -0400

On Tue, 14 Sep 1999 03:56:33 -0800, act_dumb@-----.com said, in
part:

> The goal is to minimize and localize the actual motion of the tongue
> to a very small range, such that (a) the point of contact is exactly
> the same at all times, regardless of speed and style, and (b) the
> tongue itself actually only moves a couple of millimeters in its
> regular tonguing motion -- again, regardless of speed and/or style.

WRT (a), you may well find that the optimum contact position varies
according to the register of the note in question.

A good example of this is the descending staccato scale (starting on A''
and going to low E) in the 3rd movement of the Weber quintet.

In the low register the reed has more kinetic energy for a given
dynamic. (Hence the 'embrasure' effect :-), in which the reed vibrates
at a lower frequency despite its contact with the tongue.) Stopping the
vibration of the reed in the low register therefore requires a more
definite contact, and varying the position of contact may help.

Notice that the 'embrasure' effect is unavailable in the upper register.
Here, even the lightest touch on the reed is sufficient to stop the
sound. Very short, forceful staccato, which *sounds* as though it
requires strong tongue action, in fact needs minimal contact.

Students are sometimes surprised by this. But it flows naturally, and
experientially, from thinking of the touching of the reed by the tongue
as something that *stops* the reed.

Because the immediate question then is, what sort of touch is required
to stop it? And, doing the experiment, we find that the answer varies
according to the register.

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE GMN family artist: www.gmn.com
tel/fax 01865 553339

... Memory is a thing we forget with.

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