Klarinet Archive - Posting 000008.txt from 2000/05

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] Non-standard fingerings, trills, voicing
Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 07:38:19 -0400

On Sun, 30 Apr 2000 07:49:27 -0700, vsofan@-----.com said:

> Tony, thank you for adding this bit about "voicing'. I understand
> this to mean that we move the tongue so that the shape of the
> resonating chamber (the oral cavity) changes and the note speaks more
> clearly or beautifully. And my question about opening and closing the
> throat - I now realize that the throat opens or closes to a greater or
> lesser degree in order to accomplish the tongue movement.

Well, as I'm fond of saying, it's a good idea to experiment with this
sort of thing.

But -- and I learnt this from Howard Klug's discussion of the matter in
"The Clarinet Doctor" -- it does help to think separately of the three
parts of the tongue, namely, back, middle and tip, when we are
experimenting.

This is partly because thinking of the matter in this way may lead us to
access tongue positions that we wouldn't have ever tried otherwise.

But also, what you say above, namely "the throat opens or closes to a
greater or lesser degree in order to accomplish the tongue movement,"
seems to imply that opening or closing the throat is an inevitable
consequence of *all* tongue movements. (Or at least, if you didn't mean
that, you could come to think that, or other people could come to think
that.) And this would be a mistake.

It's particularly a mistake to allow the tongue movement in staccato to
interrupt the airflow at the back of the tongue. (Obviously, because
it's the airflow that has the reed begin to vibrate when the tip of the
tongue 'stops stopping' it, any interruption in this airflow screws up
staccato.)

Howard's suggestion here is to think of the movement of the tip of the
tongue in staccato as 'up and down' rather than 'forward and back'. He
then explains that this is because 'forward and back' movement
inevitably 'bunches up' the back of the tongue, interrupting the
airflow.

Now whether this is exactly true or not, it's precisely the sort of
suggestion that leads to better results -- what I've called a 'metaphor'
in several previous posts. I found it immediately helpful myself for
several staccato passages.

> Are there notes (on modern Bb clarinets) which everyone knows are
> quite difficult and must be voiced differently than others? I know
> that Bb (3rd line) for example, is a very stuffy note. Suggestions?
> Are there others like this?

It's common to be encouraged to 'open your throat' to play this Bb. But
this can have the 'middle' of the tongue lie too low. Again, Howard's
separation helps. The resonance position of the Bb is rather to have
the middle of the tongue highish, and the *front* low, in my experience.
And this 'highish middle' is another help with staccato too.

Just as an experiment, try moving just the middle of the tongue *really*
high on this Bb. I think you'll find the note gets sharper, but is
still an acceptable sound, if you use a standard 'resonance' fingering
like oox/oox plus Fkey.

Now try moving again just the middle of the tongue higher, almost to
closure, whilst playing C", two ledger lines above the stave, still
blowing strongly. You should get the downward 'scoop' that is the basis
for glissando.

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

... A wise man once said.... I don't know...

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