 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as
Date: 2004-07-29 01:19
Ok... My problem here is that I tend to squeak a lot when I tongue... Whenever there's a lot of tonguing in a piece, my reed gets water logged... I completely destroy my reeds when I tongue... I also have trouble keeping a focused tone when I tongue, keeping my tongue up in my mouth is hard to do while tonguing.... I'm sure this subject has come up before, but I'm too lazy to look it up... I just have major issues with tonguing... How do I get my tone to sound nice and round while tonguing? How do i keep my reed from getting water logged? Why do I squeak?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-07-29 01:30
psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't ask) wrote:
> tonguing...I'm sure this subject has come up before,
It has and there are some excellent articles and past postings with invaluable advice. For example:
http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Study/TongueFaster.html
> but I'm
> too lazy to look it up
[ There are many helpful threads and comments written by both professionals and educators. By not reading some of what was written before you are counting on those same people to generously take the time to rewrite and repost their ideas.
Searching the archives and doing some reading is always recommended for precisely the reason stated above...GBK ]
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-07-29 01:31
Personally, when I tongue, my tongue is rather low on my mouth. That's just me though. You have to find what works for you personally.
I've noticed in my students that most sound related tonguing problems are the result of slightly moving your jaw when you tongue. This can cause squeaks, dips in pitch, and a variety of other problems. Other problems could be where your tongue is hitting the reed. People always say "tip of the tongue on the tip of the reed", but I find that I get the best tonguing sound if I tongue slightly lower that the tip of the reed with a spot slightly lower than the tip of my tongue. I find that with many people, trying the use the very tip of the tongue results in their trying to hold their tongue back too far in their mouth which causes voicing problems (and can result in squeaking...).
With myself and my students, I've found that the key to developing good tongue all around is to start by developing a perfectly clear and smooth legato tongue. When you have mastered the delicate touch required for this light tonguing style, you can more easily move to "regular" and "staccato" tonguing. I've had a lot of success teaching tonguing in this way.
DH
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: Contra
Date: 2004-07-29 02:37
You think that's evil? Try playing Candle in the Wind/Pinball Wizard while marching and anchor tonguing. It's not too easy.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-07-29 13:56
Mary -
The cure is the exercise I posted just a couple of minutes ago under "Tonguing for Scales." Give it a try and let us know how you do.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: 3dogmom
Date: 2004-07-29 14:53
Don't despair, everyone has been through this. You should get some staccato studies, like Kell, and practice them slowly. Speed should not be the issue, it sounds like you are trying to play beyond your ability. Slow it down and make sure the mechanics are correct. Are you touching only the tip of your tongue to the tip of the reed? Are your top teeth on the mouthpiece? Is your bottom lip folded over your bottom teeth?
Once you're sure all these things are happening correctly, go back practicing slowly and clearly. Do just a bit a day. I had to do this myself in college because I had learned to tongue incorrectly. You will get better, don't give up.
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2004-07-29 17:31
yea, i had the same problem with tonguing......my jaw was moving, and its not something u really realize until u think about it while ur playing. When u play staccto excercises or whatever is that ur practicing, think about ur jaw and think about keeping it motionless (if that is the problem that is). After u do that for a while (it took me a few hours) ull by habbit not move ur jaw.
BTW, ur reed is completely waterlogged???? I dunno, but i guess u might want to go to a stronger reed, or something like that.....
get a private teacher, it makes all this so much easier, if the teachers is good anyway..
btw 3dogmom, I HATE KELL'S 17 STACCATO STUDIES, lol, but after completing it, i can definitely say that is has done wonders for my tonguing
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Author: Gazebo Dealer
Date: 2004-07-29 21:10
One of my major problems when I play are the spit goobers on the back of my reed. Does anyone have a good way of keeping the spit from getting in that area (on the upper back of the reed and in the crutial areas of the mouthpiece)? Is there liquid to dip your reeds in to keep stuff off your reeds...or is the old slurping method the only way to attempt to get it off? Normally when I practice I wipe my reed every 5 minutes. I think this might be a little much. And it is a pain during performances. I felt bad for my trio (Htb. Cl. and Fag.) as I wiped my reed between each movement of Mozart's Divertimento K.493. If there's a method to prevent this problem, please let me know.
Thanks.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-07-29 21:53
OK, here's the exercise. It comes from Bob Lowrey, who was an excellent player and a well known clinician when I was in high school.
Play a secure note (say, D below the staff), starting it mezzo forte with the breath. Then, move the tip of your tongue up and slightly forward as if saying the syllable LA, but do not let your tongue touch the reed. You want to just barely miss. Move the syllable forward gradually, so that you touch the reed only for an instant, producing the smallest possible "tic" in the sound.
Work on this until you can do it consistently and evenly. Then move to scales, beginning slowly and working the speed up gradually. The feeling should be that of your tongue sweeping - almost bouncing - across the reed, but never stopping. The breath and the sound never stop.
Once you get this extremely light action under control, it's easy to make it more forceful. Equally important, you teach yourself to play with a continuous tone, which is interrupted by the tongue, without interrupting the effort of moving the air stream. This avoids the problems that come when you think of the tongue as what starts the tone, rather than stopping it.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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