 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-07-26 01:00
Seeing the posts on double tonguing, I figured I'd ask about what I do. I use what my teacher referred to as a rebound tongue. When you normally tongue it's a "Ta". When you double tongue it's supposed to be a "Ta-ka". I sorta use a "Ta-ta" thing. I tongue the note normally, but instead of having my tongue touch the roof of my mouth stopping the airflow for the "ka" of a normal tongue, it kinda just bounces back and nicks the reed again (softer than a normal tonguing situation). Sometimes it's a little fuzzy, but most times it's clear. Is this good technique?
One thing I don't know is if I'm in tempo or not. Since I only use this method when it's fast beyond my thought capability (think of a William Tell Overture), it's fast enough to get two notes out in the time I need, but I honestly can't tell if I'm subdiving that time correctly or not. Then I begin to think, "Well, it sounds about right to me."
So bottom line, is this a good technique to work on and get it to perfection and is there an actual name or should I scrap it and work on other methods (double/triple-tongue)?
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: ken
Date: 2003-07-26 19:41
This subject occasionally pops up. In my circles it's known as "stop tonguing". Some refer to it as "slap tonguing", although I would debate that exact wording. I routinely use stop or rebound tonguing as an alternative to single/double tonguing. I do however, use it sparingly and only in specific situations, i.e. when trapped in what I call my "taint tempos" --taint fast enough for real double tonguing and too fast for controlled single tonguing (roughly 144-152 to the 1/4). The upside is it’s a useful "golly gee" technique when having to simulate sounds such as galloping horses (dotted 16th triplets), growls, farm animals and particularly in band settings transcribing violin parts with rapid fire 16ths and/or ostinatos.
However, the down side (for me at least) is having to re-set and anchor tongue (top back of tongue arched and braced against the far back roof of the mouth and tongue/tip arched downward against the inside, bottom lower front teeth). I also must take sudden, but relaxed stabs at the reed's heart area while expelling short blasts of air. Tuning, note quality and consistency is problematical but more believable at brisker tempos.
As for application, I would only recommend this technique to advanced players whose embouchure set is rock solid. If this technique is not practiced correctly and in moderation it can easily do chop damage that could take weeks/months to reverse. v/r Ken
Post Edited (2003-07-26 21:47)
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