 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LIU
Date: 2003-08-19 10:37
My weakness
Tonguing
I don't know why I can't control my tongue freely, wanna make a clearer and better sound from my Buffet RC clarinet and Vandor B40 13 MPC.
Does anyone can help me, please????
LIU
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-08-19 11:50
Are you using enough breath support? There should be enough air moving through the instrument. Either there's not enough support from below, or you may be unconsciously constricting the air flow with your throat; trying too hard will do that. Air flow is the foundation, tonguing only alters the air that should already be there.
Try playing a note with plenty of air, then stopping it with the tip of your tongue (but keep the pressure on the air) and then release your tongue. Think of a water hose, you're watering your garden and hold your thumb over the hose to block the water, then release the pressure. The pressure is always there, right? All you're doing is allowing it to be released and then stopping it again. The water pressure is similar to the air column that you want in the instrument.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-08-19 11:59
My Sax teacher has me on the same track Brenda mentions.
As a drill for legato playing, he has me start a solid note and dampen the sound (not stop) by tonguing... you can still hear the note faintly.
This allows the reed to 'speak' quickly when the tongue is lifted of the reed.
In short, neither the air flow nor reed ever completely stop.
If you find your shoulders, abdomen or neck moving a great deal in this exercise, you must relax to reach that golden tone...
Try to remember that it's about wind over the reed.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-08-19 15:13
Often, in trying to achieve the "open throat", the clarinetist will also lower the back of his tongue which spreads the flow of air and impeds articulative action. Try arching your tongue as if you were imitating a cat hissing (Tom Ridenour's imagery). This action focuses and accelorateds the air stream toward the mpc tip and frees your tongue to do its work. It also improves the resulting tone quality as a result of the re-configuration of your oral cavity, and aids the necessary individual tuning we all must do on certain problem notes. So, open your throat, but also arch the back of your tongue. Then, think of the garden hose, try SB's excercise and see if "all of this" helps your articulation (and other things, as well).
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-08-20 02:39
When you tongue a note, especially when first starting a note after a rest, lay your tongue on the note. Blow air through the instrument, then when the time comes, "release" the reed from your tongue. So instead of striking the note to start it, let go of the reed. The air support will already be there and you'd be surprised how much easier and nicer the sound is to get out.
If you can, and have a long legato phrase, try to think of them as "releases" from the reed instead of "strikes" to the reed. The thinking differently often keeps you from hitting it too hard and making it too much of an accent.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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