Klarinet Archive - Posting 000668.txt from 2003/08
From: "Forest Aten" <forestaten@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] RE: Articulation problems
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2003 08:48:15 -0400
Dan,
"Avoid touching the reed tip with your tongue. Have the underneath part
of your tongue in contact with your lower lip when you tongue. As you
tongue higher notes move your tongue to the side of the reed so that in the
altissimo range you are touching the side of the mouthpiece as much as you
are the reed with the tip of your tongue"
I've never heard anyone describe tonguing this way on clarinet. What are you
releasing? Your lip?
Tell me more about how you start sound.
Forest Aten
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Sutherland" <dan.sutherland@-----.net>
Subject: Re: [kl] RE: Articulation problems
> I think that any way you study articulation or tonguing the moment of
> interest is the release of sound.
>
> One may decide to release sound by first closing off the airway to the
> instrument by glomming the tongue to the ceiling of the mouth and covering
> all of the available reed surface within the mouth with the tongue and
> moving that [the tongue] out of the way while blowing to produce a sound.
>
> The release of sound using the above technique is somewhat delayed
preceded
> by a grunt [undertone] with exaggerated delay and grunt as the pitch
> escalates. I rarely come across a musical requirement where such a
release
> is desired. I have never come across an instance where I felt it
> necessary to teach that technique.
>
> I prefer a less intrusive release.
>
> Excuse me while I put my thoughts in order for the immanent teaching
season.
>
> All systems to produce sound are reliant on each other. A certain style
of
> embouchure may work well with a particular breathing and tonguing
> technique. Diminishing inefficient practises creates the possibility of
> producing a result we want. I find the following techniques efficient.
>
> Avoid touching the reed tip with your tongue. Have the underneath
part
> of your tongue in contact with your lower lip when you tongue. As you
> tongue higher notes move your tongue to the side of the reed so that in
the
> altissimo range you are touching the side of the mouthpiece as much as you
> are the reed with the tip of your tongue.
>
> Practise buzzing your tongue [someone advised this already] by placing the
> tip of your tongue on the reed below the tip of the reed and producing a
> sound. The preferred [in my estimation] way to release sound in a
> phonetic sense is to pronounce "th-awe". "awe" is the speaking of the
> sound. "th"is what happens before when you are blowing but your tongue tip
> is on the reed down from the tip of the reed. This requires practice and
> coordination.
>
> Nobody complains about how I tongue on clarinet.
>
> Or maybe I just don't pay attention to the multitudinous complaints.
>
> Dan
>
>
> At 08:01 PM 8/25/2003 +0100, you wrote:
> > --- Ormondtoby Montoya <ormondtoby@-----.net> wrote:
> >
> > > I worried all night about the proper phrase to describe what the
tongue
> > > does during articulation. The following comment may seem trivial,
but
> > > if an important concept isn't stated explicitly, then it can become a
> > > non-trivial problem. My comment is:
> > >
> > > It is ***air pressure*** that closes the reed. It's true that
the
> > > tongue does "something" to quiet the reed's vibration, such that our
> > > breath can do the rest. Whatever the correct name for this
"something"
> > > may be, we seldom see posts that state explicitly that our breath
> > > provides the primary driving force. As obvious as this concept may
be,
> > > it needs saying.
> >
> >There are several difficulties here. The first is probably that you
don't
> >describe what you mean by 'articulation'. Is that as in a staccato
passage?
> >
> > > It is ***air pressure*** that closes the reed.
> >
> >One has to ask: what do you mean by 'closing the reed'?
> >
> >You might mean that during a note, the reed closes against the mouthpiece
> >during the cycle, and that's certainly driven by airpressure.
> >
> >But it's nothing to do with what the tongue does in staccato.
> >
> > > It's true that the tongue does "something" to quiet the reed's
> > vibration, >
> >such that our breath can do the rest.
> >
> >The tongue totally interrupts the reed's vibrations in staccato. The
> >breath is
> >what sustains the reed's vibrations.
> >
> > > In fact..... if I aimed my clarinet toward the ceiling and fingered
all
> > > the holes closed, and then someone poured water into my clarinet until
> > > it was full to the bell. I wonder if I could stop the water from
leaking
> > > out the mouthpiece by tongue pressure on the reed alone? I doubt it.
> > > It's our breath that does the major part of the work, and this needs
to
> > > be said explicitly.
> >
> >This is just a crazy model. It doesn't help in the least.
> >
> >Tony
> >
> >
> >Want to chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Yahoo!
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> >
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>
>
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