 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-02-24 03:23
Well, I've been working on trying to do things CORRECTLY (or at least what I believe is correct given by my interpretations of directions from teachers and whatnot). I have huge gaps in my playing not having ever had the benefit of having a steady teacher. And one thing I'm working on right now is "tip to tip" tonguing.
First off, it feels awkward. Feeling the curved thin part of the reed against my tongue instead of the flat part is....disconcerting to say the least. And it's even worse when the reed is warped. I can feel every bend.
The problem I'm having is that due to my airflow, and keeping the tip of my tongue close to the tip of the reed while learning this, the air is REALLY drying out the tip of my tongue. The air flowing over the tongue is just (I guess) making any saliva that would be on the tip disappear and then I have to find a time and place in the music to re-moisten my tongue.
Is this normal? Is there some easy way around this? Is this a sign that I'm even using correct airflow?
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: TianL
Date: 2011-02-24 06:53
i think the dry-tongue problem will naturally go away on its own, without you even realizing it's gone.
and the tip-to-tip thing, you just have to keep doing it, and eventually it will feel natural. i had to go through the same process. a while ago i used to tongue incorrectly too but i took the time and corrected it. it felt hopeless at the time but now i am very happy that i spent the effort.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-02-24 13:48
Alexi, it's not warped that you feel, what you are feeling is a wavy tip.
"iron" the reed by putting the tip of the reed perpendicular to the table of the mouthpiece, hold the reed with your thumb at the tip, and pull out the reed with your other hand. Make sure the reed is wet, but that will "iron" out a wavy tip.
Warpage is something that your tongue won't feel, but wavy - absolutely.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-02-24 16:03
Your comment about feeling "every bend" struck me as well. David's technique of "ironing" the reed works well - if the reed is wet to begin with.
That brings up a more general comment. If you're playing on reeds that are still crinkled like that, you're probably not wetting them long enough. The response from a reed in that condition is certainly not optimal. If you're trying to learn to articulate on reeds with wavy tips, you're not likely to get good results even if you're tonguing optimally. That can make you do other, perhaps destructive things to compensate. Make sure your reeds are wet enough for the crinkling to straighten out or, if you don't want to wait for that to happen naturally, try David's "ironing" method.
Karl
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-02-24 16:19
I put my reeds in water for about 30 seconds before playing and never have a wavy tip. Also using the Rico Reedholder keeps the humidity constant, and my reeds never come out of the holder with wavy tips.
Doesn't completely guarantee non warpage, but works really, really well.
When a student of mine has a warped reed, the first thing I do is check the humidity pack, and odds are that it's dried out (replace every couple of months).
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: TianL
Date: 2011-02-24 18:02
David's suggestion on keeping the reed's humidity level definitely works. I believe the reed's tip becomes wavy is due to the humidity level is changing from dry to wet in too a sharp slope (which is bad to the reed in general, as it's more likely to warp in this condition). so if if you hold the reed in a higher (constant) humidity level (I use the Rico vitalizer pack in a sandwich bag, originally suggested by Ed Palankar). This really helps.
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Author: David Lee
Date: 2011-02-24 18:06
What is the advantage of tounging with the very tip of your tongue vs farther back on the tongue? I realize that if I am ever to learn double tounging the tip is the only option.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-02-24 23:08
I think the common wisdom to using the tip of the TONGUE is that you have more control, more "fine motor" control. There is just less 'stuff' to move when only the smallest part of the tongue is being asked to move.
I am not a fan of direct tip of the REED however. I feel you can achieve a light technique tonguing just under the tip so as not commit harry-carry with your tongue.
.................Paul Aviles
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