 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: stac
Date: 2003-02-05 03:56
I am curious as to how some clarinet teachers have successfully taught a good staccato articulation. Any curious ways of thinking about a staccato so that it doesn't become too much of a head game?
or if there is anything that comes to mind when achieving a good staccato articulation, at slow and fast tempi. I know this may seem like a broad question, but if you have ideas, please reply.
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Author: jez
Date: 2003-02-05 11:29
I think "The Art of Clarinet Playing" by Keith Stein contains much wisdom in the approach to staccato playing, as in other aspects. He emphasises the use of the tongue to stop the note and the breath to start it and steers one away from a too-active tongue.
Many other methods describe pronouncing a T T T T or D D D D sound which IMHO is simply wrong.
Once the correct balance of tongue and breath is achieved I think too much emphasis is placed on increasing speed, where I think it should be on increasing stamina.
jez
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Author: Mark Sloss
Date: 2003-02-05 16:16
Principally I teach my students to focus their articulation at the "tip of the tongue, tip of the reed" and work to get them away from the common mistake of articulating off the palette. The best tool I have though is playing it for them the right way, and then recording them doing it the wrong way. The "Ahah!" lightbulb usually goes on pretty quickly. Once they get the sound concept, a little experimentation usually gets them to the right technique.
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Author: HAT
Date: 2003-02-05 17:25
Make sure that 'tip' isn't taken too literally, as we had this problem in a previous discussion. Generally speaking, the tongue touches AT the tip, not on it.
I agree with Mark that playing and demonstrating the correct sound of articulations (not just staccato) is the best way to help students 'get' it. I have my own method of back-and-forth playing.
Basically, if you expect to teach it, be able to demonstrate it.
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Author: James
Date: 2003-02-05 18:04
I was thinking about this today when I randomly tounging (with out the clarinet) I think think that a Teee or a combo dtee is the best. I think when when we just say T they think tih tih tih which lowers the tounge and makes it much more difficult to tounge at a fast rate. Hope this helps.
- James
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Author: Signe
Date: 2003-02-06 05:58
This is a different approach, but it works for me. Keep the air moving forward, just as if you were slurring. Use the tongue to start and stop the notes "tut". Think of it as "letting the air pressure out", just like the end of a hose lets water out in spurts. To practice it, hold your tongue up to the roof of your mouth, and push air forward, but don't let it out. This feels like grunting. Then let a little of it out and close it off again. If you want to get aggressive about it, think of yourself as a machine gun. But seriously, if you keep the air pressure up, you have something substantial waiting for your next note. You don't have to re-create air, which takes time. Signe
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Author: Mark Sloss
Date: 2003-02-06 14:45
Echo HAT -- "tip of the reed" is figurative but gets the point across.
I neglected to mention how incredibly important full air support from the diaphragm is to clean articulation. Tonguing becomes much lighter and more precise when the student is driving the air column from the gut.
I will also repeat what I said above -- I break students of articulation off the roof of the mouth. It is imprecise and the motion of the tongue changes the shape of the oral cavity and consequently the timbre of the sound across the duration of the note. I do not reintroduce that technique to students until they are very advanced and ready to learn double- and triple-tonguing (ta-ka and ta-ka-da).
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Author: HAT
Date: 2003-02-06 15:39
Bonade described the motion as if one were spitting a tiny piece of tobacco off of the end of the tongue (he smoked unfiltered cigarettes). If you don't smoke, let's say a poppy seed. Oh no, drugs!! OKOK. . .SESEME seed.
It's a tiny 'th' motion.
Not the roof of the mouth, it will confuse a young student to talk like that.
Again, if what YOU yourself do doesn't sound right, how are you going to teach it?
Articulation (not just staccato) is probably the most mistaught fundemental in clarinet playing. I feel badly for some students I hear who just haven't been taught properly, but it happens all the time (we see it even on this board). It takes FOREVER to unlearn some of the wacky habits students get into. Sad. . .b
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2003-02-06 16:15
http://www.clarinet-saxophone.asn.au/index_articles.htm
Go to this site and click on the interview with Robert Marcellus.
On page two (it's in adobe acrobat) there are a couple of questions that he answers about articulation.
I know that this link has been mentioned earlier but it bears being reposted for the benefit of this subject alone.
I think that this interview is one of the most clear and elucidating of the very few interviews with the man...not only about articulation but all aspects of clarinetistry and music.
I may post the link once again to start a new thread so that everyone that hasn't, will be able to read it and perhaps comment on it. Many times the link is buried in a thread that is not necessarily accessed by all.
Gregory Smith
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Author: Linda
Date: 2003-02-06 19:38
I use the analogy of blowing spit balls through a straw with my students. It works for most of them. It directs the air and tongue to the proper placement.
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Author: Signe
Date: 2003-02-07 04:17
This is an addendum to my earlier reply. When using the technique involving the roof of your mouth, do NOT have your clarinet in your mouth. I guess I didn't make that clear, as I received quite a few emails correcting me. Do not touch the tongue to the roof of the mouth when actually tonguing while playing the clarinet. Sorry for the confusion. Signe
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Author: Clarinetter
Date: 2003-02-07 07:47
I was taught never to stop the staccato note with the tongue,i.e., no tut tut tut tonging. I have never had a conductor who objected to the tut tut tut technique. In fact, I have had several conductors who demanded that effect on staccato passages. Does anyone else feel pulled in opposite directions on playing or teaching staccato?
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Author: HAT
Date: 2003-02-07 14:00
If your teacher is telling you NEVER to use a 'stopped' staccato. . .
Get another teacher, because you're dealing with someone who is not going to teach you everything you need to know.
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Author: Malaya
Date: 2003-02-08 16:10
Hm... depends on the style of music. In jazz, you often want to stop the note with the tongue, instead of less violently. I'm a student, a sophmore in HS, and I usually think of stacatto as the shortest way of playing a note without making it sound like a blob of unidentifiable sound. I always think of stacatto quarters as being like heavily accented 8ths. I dunno... Like I said, I'm a sophomore. So my advice/descriptions/nonsense probably won't help much.
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