Klarinet Archive - Posting 000155.txt from 2005/04

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Legendary Teachers
Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 21:10:45 -0400


Robert Howe wrote,
>While on the topic of insightul teachers,
>can anyone describe an efffective way to learn
>flutter tonguing? I'm 48 years old and have
>played woodwinds for 35 years, yet I have
>never been able to do this. I can make a
>guttural "R" in the throat and bring it up to
>the front of the tongue. Over the past year,
>in an attempt to learn the technique, I have by
>diligent practice (mostly while driving alone)
>extended this to the point that I can flutter
>tongue pretty effectively in the low register of
>the alto recorder. But with upper register notes,
>or on a hautboy or oboe, the stronger wind
>stream dampens out my fluttering.

Well, I'm not legendary or even infamous or even a clarinet teacher at all,
but here's what works for me....

Without using any mouthpiece, try speaking the Spanish rolled "R" first by
making your tongue thin and flat. Think of a thin sheet of paper rustling
in a breeze. Touch the tip of your tongue loosely to the ridge of gums
behind your upper teeth, without pointing your tongue at all. Leave the
whole tongue relaxed, including the tip. Blow air with your tongue in that
position and the rest of your mouth in the position for the letter "R" and
hear and feel what happens. Don't try to flutter your tongue as a muscle.
Let the air stream flutter it as if it weighed nothing and had no strength.
Imagine it's paper. Fluttering is one of those "breakthrough" skills: Once
you can do it, it will seem easy all of a sudden. Once you can get a good
rolling "R" going, try it with various mouthpieces. I've never tried on an
oboe, but this technique works for me on clarinet, sax and recorder. Hope
this helps.

Lelia Loban
(being miaowed at for making funny noises while typing...)

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