Klarinet Archive - Posting 000388.txt from 2001/05

From: rgarrett@-----.edu
Subj: Re: [kl] Professor Wheeler's tongue
Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 09:17:34 -0400

At 11:47 AM 05/15/2001 +0100, you wrote:
>Is it generally known about in the brass-playing community?

I'm not sure about the use of whistling, but certainly the concept of
syllables in conjunction with register changes in brass has been around a
long time. The Maggio Method was founded on this.........

I know several brass players who, upon hearing me give a master class with
regard to tongue position/whistling, mentioned they have used the same
analogy. I am assuming then that it is used.

>Though I've obviously never tried it, I have a vague idea of how I'd
>approach using it in practice. But perhaps you'd like to tell us how you
>personally go about that?

It can be problematic if the student can't whistle.

I usually wait until the student enters the clarion and begins "squeaking"
more before introducing tongue position as a vehicle for register
change. The whistling analogy is useful only in getting them to think
about what is changing the pitch as they whistle. Most of them say,
without thinking, that it is their lips........then their
air.........finally thinking about what is actually moving around and
determine it is the tongue. The really good ones figure out it is only
specific portions of the tongue - and those are the ones that seem to
develop the altissimo and clarion most quickly.

Interesting - if you whistle - when you do an extreme octave change low to
high - puffing the cheeks helps me.....but seems to have nothing to do with
tongue. Locking the cheeks down provides less flexibility to the upper
register - so there is more to a good whistle than tongue movement!

>It would also be interesting to verify the guess that lay behind my
>suggestion -- namely, that Wheeler's 'change of register' tongue movements
>are the same when he whistles.

I was not implying that the change of register for whistling is the same
exact tongue movement as it is for clarinet. I was suggesting that the
awareness of using whistling as an example in conjunction with exercises
that make the student more aware of how their tongue facilitates register
movement is a good one.

If you do develop something in this regard, I hope you share it - I would
be excited to find some new material to help with teaching these concepts!

Best wishes,
Roger Garrett

Roger Garrett
Clarinet Professor
Director, Symphonic Winds
Illinois Wesleyan University
School of Music
Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
Phone: (309) 556-3268
Fax: (309) 556-3121

"A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes
another's."
Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825)

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