Klarinet Archive - Posting 000700.txt from 2003/08

From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] RE: Articulation problems
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 07:34:51 -0400

This is not meant to come across as critical or invalidating, but what you describe below has the
flavor of something self-taught. In and of itself, that's neither positive nor negative, but the
pseudo-anchor-tongue technique is inherently limited, despite the likelihood that it feels
comfortable and may produce desirable results within a finite range of contexts.

You suggest that one's aim might be to begin a note with a minimum of excessive noise and with
consistency, particularly in the high range. That's a useful starting point in one's
developmental process, but achieving such a goal ought not constitute a point of arrival or a
plateau upon which a player should rest in his growth relative to articulation technique. At
least, it can't do so if the player desires to maximize his ability to perform every manner of
articulation within a very broad spectrum of technique -- from the lightest, most connected
legato, begun with but a whisper of air at ultra-soft dynamics...to sledge-hammer pounding
eardrum-puncturing staccato at speeds in excess of quarter note = 180 -- and everything bounded by
these extremes.

300 years of playing & refinement of technique have determined that an approximation of tip-to-tip
is the most efficient and effective manner for ultimately assuring consummate facility /
flexibility of articulation technique. Some people play exactly tip-to-tip. Others play with a
contact point a millimeter or two back from the tip (toward the bottom), and others have a contact
point slightly back from the tip, but toward the *top* of the tongue. The unifying element in
this case is the area of the tongue making contact, plus (conseqeuently) the minimization of
motion ... of the majority of the tongue muscle ... beyond the tip region itself. Utilizing areas
of the tongue further back than this localized point of contact involves a much larger proportion
of the muscle than usual. Doing so places a limit on one's ability to develop relaxation in that
muscle. Fine (as opposed to coarse) motor control is the direction in which development is
ideally guided. It is the reduction of overall motion of the muscle and, consequently, the
development of articulation technique based upon physical relaxation *of* that muscle, that
results in the ability to generate the full conceivable range of articulation style on command.

Because the tongue is involved in much more than merely the initiation and interruption of sound,
it is critical that articulation technique be developed in such a way that its other needed
functions are still available to the player. The tongue is closely involved in focusing the air
stream. Since air focus is critical to sound quality and to the connected transition of sound
from one note to the next, articulation can't be learned in a way that places limitations on one's
ability to manipulate -- in very small increments of distance and contour -- the shape and
position of the tongue while maintaining a relaxed physical state of the muscle. With students in
the past (I no longer have time to teach), I've begun articulation studies by discussing (1) air
focus, (2) muscle relaxation, and (3) tongue position/contour *first*, rather than directing
attention immediately to the finer points of where the tongue best makes contact with the reed.
The latter issue surfaces within the same conversation, but the emphasis is on ensuring that air
focus and continuity of sound are retained while conditioning the muscle to relax and approximate
the tip-to-tip effect. When a student approaches articulation from the standpoint of ensuring
that proper air focus and the ability to voice notes is never sacrificed -- while patiently
developing speed and sensitivity at the tip -- I'm confident that speed and sensitivity will
become an extension of their integrated technique, rather than a discrete element among separate
techniques in figurative battle with each other.

'Have to pause and hit the rails (train rails, that is).

Neil

--- Dan Sutherland <dan.sutherland@-----.net> wrote:
> All right then.
>
> The technique I describe is merely a starting point for producing the start
> of a sound. I agree that other techniques are more widely used but submit
> that if your aim is to begin a note with a minimum of excessive noise and
> with consistency particularly in the high range, you will find success
> using the technique.
>
> About the lip-tongue thing.
>
> The reason I mention keeping contact with the lower lip with the underside
> of the tongue is to maintain a low position of the front part of the tongue
> as you tongue. A better description would be to visualize the tip of your
> tongue gliding past your lower lip on its way to the reed, the purpose of
> which is to have the tip of the tongue contact the reed without hitting the
> reed tip. Although I am an abominable freak of nature I haven't had a
> student who could not learn or use the technique to advantage. Or, no
> special oral configuration is required to use the technique.
>
> About the speed thing.
>
> How fast can you pronounce "nuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuh"...etc? That will indicate
> how fast you can tongue on clarinet. Pronouncing "th-awe" [not out loud of
> course] practising on the clarinet and accelerating keeping the tongue
> motion consistent ought to allow you to duplicate your "nuhnuhnuhnuh" speed.
>
> There is much more involved. Embouchure and breathing technique are as
> much involved in tonguing as tongue motion. Then there is the question of
> what you wish to express and how you alter/use technique to achieve your wish.
>
> Dan
>
>
>
>
> At 07:48 AM 8/26/2003 -0500, you wrote:
> >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>
> >To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> >Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 12:38 AM
> >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!
> > > >Messenger http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/
> > > >
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> >
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