 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2008-01-01 02:14
When practicing rapid tonguing, does anyone else hear the metronome slow down? After warming up at one speed, I'll increase the metronome to a speed that seems a little (or even a lot) too fast, and try and keep up with that. Immediately on resuming, I distinctly hear the metronome slow down.
That's ok in that my tongue can then keep up at the seemingly slower speed, but in real music I get in trouble. Let's say there's a bunch of fast 16ths followed by a measure of quarter notes. I turn on the metronome, play along until I get to the fast 16ths, and the metronome slows down so I can play them - but then for the quarter notes the damn thing speeds back up, and I find myself playing those too slow, out of tempo.
What's up with this? I'm trying to get around it by imagining tonguing the quarters etc., but that's a bit of overhead my aging brain would rather do without.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2008-01-01 02:28
Yup. I tend to (like many others of course) speed up during sixteenths only to have to slow back down when they're done with. And then there's the pieces that are almost ALL sixteenths, and I just get faster and faster till someone I'm playing with tells me to slow down. And yes, mostly when I'm tonguing them. Slurring them doesn't have that effect (at least not much).
Only thing I can say is try practicing with a recording or someone else who has less of a speeding up problem. So at least you have someone there to yell at you and you are more conscious to keep it slower so you won't get yelled at. THe metronome doesn't yell at me so I don't feel as much need to keep them under wraps. My section leader on the other hand . . . . !!!
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Liam Murphy
Date: 2008-01-01 06:51
Recently, to practice my single/double/triple tonguing, I have programmed "Sibelius" to churn out constant staccato rhythms. I do feel some warping of the way I perceive my metronome's supposedly "even" clicks, however Sibelius' playback helps a lot.
If I'm practicing a bunch of 16ths under a slur, to keep them even, I will play them "swung" and then "Swung from the second note". This technique seems to work for me, and for the members of my section that I lead... : )
If you own any form of notation software with a play back option ie. "Sibelius" I would recommend to input "a bunch of fast 16ths followed by a measure of quarter notes" and play along. Hours of fun : )
Good luck
Liam
Post Edited (2008-01-02 08:22)
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Author: OmarHo
Date: 2008-01-01 07:17
Or similar to Liam's suggestion, if you have an up to date metronome, most of them will do subdivisions for you. Mine does subdivides the beat into duplets, triplets, and quadruplets. Which should probably be sufficient.
I have this problem too...at first I always want to speed up because I'm worried that I'm falling behind but in fact I start rushing then I have to slow down again.
Something also odd about my tonguing is that I'm able to tongue things faster when say I have like a fast C major scale to tongue ascending and descending. But if I'm asked to tongue the same speed but on a sustained note, I can't do it as fast. Does anyone else have this problem?
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2008-01-01 14:06
Thanks for the comments, everyone. My metronome does subdivide, so I'll try that. Can't use the thing everywhere I may go, of course. Maybe I'll just have to get used to subdividing with my "mental tongue".
I've noticed in recordings that some clarinetists sometimes speed up tongued passages or phrases. Two examples are Martin Frost and Sabine Meyer. I figured it was just joie de vivre from being able to tongue so fast, but now I wonder if their time perception also suffers warpage.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-01-01 15:11
In the case of those clarinetists, I (personally) have to believe that they choose to speed up...
James
Gnothi Seauton
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