Klarinet Archive - Posting 000464.txt from 2000/11

From: stewart kiritz <kiritz@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] oh oh: Long Tones and Embouchure
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 16:12:12 -0500

>From Stewart Kiritz,

I am having a little trouble understanding your difficulty with your
tonguing. A long tongue should not be a problem. Just play a long tone.
Slowly bring the end of your tongue closer to the reed. When it just
reaches the read, near the tip (not closing the tip, but stroking it just
below the tip) let your tongue touch the reed a bit, then let go. You
should feel a tingly sensation on your tongue as it meets the vibrating
reed. Then release the tongue. All this time, the reed should continue
vibrating. Then move the tongue away from the reed, then back again. Each
time, you will feel the vibration of the reed without stopping the tone
completely. If you do this for a while, slowly touching the reed and moving
away the tongue without stopping the air flow, eventually you should notice
that you can get the reed to stop vibrating completely simply by exerting a
slight touch or pressure by a small portion of the end or tip of your tongue
to the portion of the reed just below the opening where the tip of the reed
and of the mouthpiece meet. Thus tonguing consists of stopping the
vibration of the reeding, not striking the reed. A bit like turning on and
off a water tap. A staccato note is simply one where the tap is turned on
for a shorter time than a longer tone. Further refinements like speed, etc.
come later.

Short of showing you in person, this is the best I can do, but you really
should have an hour or two with a competent teacher to demonstrate and
check. But please feel free to ask further questions.

Stewart
----- Original Message -----
From: "William Wright" <Bilwright@-----.net>
Subject: Re: [kl] oh oh: Long Tones and Embouchure

> <><> Terry Sterkel wrote:
> did I catch that the air is supposed to be going through the mouthpiece
> "all the time?" That is, the tongue does not cut air flow, just reed
> vibration??? could you be kind enough to clarify? thanks!
>
> Terry, I noticed that you posted this question once before. I'm
> reluctant to post anything myself about tonguing. I can't do it
> properly yet. But there is one book (80 pages for $12.95) that almost
> every music store has, and it talks about tonguing in a more meaningful
> way that most "how to" book: The Art Of Clarinet Playing, by Keith
> Stein
>
> Stein *does* emphasize "continuously moving breath", such as: "A
> final comparison is to a river at flood stage when the leaves of
> overhanging trees are touching the rushing current. These leaves,
> flicked in and out of the water, are like the tongue deflected by the
> breath flow."
> Stein advises that the first step is to learn how to end a tone (to
> "release" it) without using the tongue and without interrupting the air
> movement. Then add tongue movements later on. Stein gives exercises.
>
> I don't mind posting my own frustration about tonguing in case
> someone here on the list has any help to offer.
> My own tongue is long enough and wide enough that I can't imagine
> myself ever being able to use the "tip to tip" approach. This adds to
> the 'mini-explosion' in front of each articulated note that sounds so
> terrible. So far, I don't see how my tongue can touch the reed without
> also interrupting the air movement completely.
> Stein's book talks about avoiding the "coiled up" tongue position
> and keeping the tongue "well forward" and "near the tip of the reed."
> This seems like a contradiction to me, since "well forward" and "not
> coiled" mean that my tongue is pressing against my front teeth or
> perhaps lying in between my slightly-separated teeth.
>
>
>
> Cheers, (not said with tongue in cheek)
> Bill
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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
>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
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