The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sean
Date: 1999-11-01 13:35
I've posted a couple of very elementary questions over the past few weeks and I am more than grateful to those who have taken the time to respond. Having said that, I now have another request. I need some basic help on tonguing. I am not sure if this is a common complaint among beginners, or, in my case, re-learners, but when I touch the the tip of my tongue to the reed, I get a raspy, sort of spitty sound that continues until either I stop the tonguing or I clean out the offending liquid. Tone without tonguing is good and strong. It is getting to the point where I don't want to tongue because it ruins the sound and discourages further playing. I am not sure if it is just that I don't remember how to tongue or, if I do remember but I just haven't practiced enough? Does everyone sound this way when they first learn how to tongue or is just a sign that I am not using proper technique? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-11-01 14:56
My tonguing started out that way - my tongue was (and still sometimes is) "too heavy", and sometimes isn't firm enough - but it gets better with practice. It's not as easy as it sounds (literally) to get a good, clean, crisp tongue.
<br>
<br>I practice tonguing drills (scales, arpeggios, etc.) every day.
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Author: William
Date: 1999-11-01 16:16
I hope that your are not actually stricking the reed with the absolute tip of your tongue. You should make contact on the top part of your tongue just behind the tip--about how you say the word "too." Also, keep the air moving and keep "sucking" the spit out of your mp. As yucky as that sounds, it is a must for clarinetists from time to time.
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