 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: KristinVanHorn
Date: 2006-08-13 05:16
is tounging a must for playing clarinet or is it optional. i find it is really distracting.
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Author: 2E
Date: 2006-08-13 11:16
You M U S T train yourself how to tongue! Its awesome once you can do it with technical accuracy and no Im not there yet either haha. Although it can be distracting, tonguing is a clarinet technique that is used in absolutely everything. I know of some passages that are very difficult if not impossible to play NOT tongued. You should train yourself to just start notes with your tongue - long tones and then scales and then passages from simple pieces. After youve mastered tonguing that way, practise staccato tonguing and if you want to get really tricky try DOUBLE TONGUING! :P
Dont think of tonguing as a distraction, think of it as another basic technique like your fingerwork. This might even help you co-ordinate the two, good luck!
2E
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2006-08-13 14:59
Kristin - Try this: pick an easy piece with a string of repeated quarter notes, like Mary Had a Little Lamb. Play the notes with a separation between each. Without tonguing you are starting and ending each note with a puff of air.
Now play it over and over while getting faster each time. Once you get really fast you will get to a point where you simply cannot puff fast enough. This is where the tongue comes in. It can move much faster than you can possibly puff.
Think about it, if our tongue wasn't an amazingly intellegent and fast moving muscle we could hardly speak.
Using your tongue will also eventually lead to have better sounding note beginnings. Be patient with this and take your time listening to the sound your tongue makes until it gets nice and clean.
Try the easy song again using your tongue. Do not stop the air with separate puffs, but let the tongue touching the reed interrupt the sound while keeping the air stream moving. As you get better at this it will sound better and you can play faster music. For anything beyond 1st year music, you really need to use tonguing.
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
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Author: KristinVanHorn
Date: 2006-08-13 17:27
Author: johng (67.189.69.---)
Date: 2006-08-13 14:59
Kristin - Try this: pick an easy piece with a string of repeated quarter notes, like Mary Had a Little Lamb. Play the notes with a separation between each. Without tonguing you are starting and ending each note with a puff of air.
Now play it over and over while getting faster each time. Once you get really fast you will get to a point where you simply cannot puff fast enough. This is where the tongue comes in. It can move much faster than you can possibly puff.
Think about it, if our tongue wasn't an amazingly intellegent and fast moving muscle we could hardly speak.
Using your tongue will also eventually lead to have better sounding note beginnings. Be patient with this and take your time listening to the sound your tongue makes until it gets nice and clean.
Try the easy song again using your tongue. Do not stop the air with separate puffs, but let the tongue touching the reed interrupt the sound while keeping the air stream moving. As you get better at this it will sound better and you can play faster music. For anything beyond 1st year music, you really need to use tonguing.
John Gibson, JB Linear Music, www.jb-linear-music.co
so i gather then that puffing should never be used?
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-08-13 19:21
>>so i gather then that puffing should never be used?<<
Offhand, I can't think of a single piece of music that asks for a "puffing" articulation. Tonguing is it -- but there are different types of tonguing effects.
I do have a very instructive exercise, though, for tone development and tonguing, that instructs the player to begin a whole note *without* tonguing, and then, while sustaining the note, move the tongue onto and off of the reed several times (still in whole notes).
This exercise works to keep the air coming from a relaxed throat, while adding the tongue. I'm sure you could speed it up as you get more accustomed to the sensation of playing while tonguing. I find this to be a very helpful exercise.
Susan
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2006-08-13 19:59
Susan's exercise described above is one that I have many students learn, with several variations.
It is important, Kristin, to think of the air as always blowing (an unending river) that the tongue interrupts to create the articulation.
Good luck!
James Tobin
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2006-08-13 20:51
Kristin: you asked "so i gather then that puffing should never be used?"
We "always" start notes with the tongue.*
Sometimes, though, we separate notes by stopping the breath and re-tonguing the next note. It depends on the style of the music. But as James clearly said, most of the time it is a river of air interrupted by the tongue.
*In music there always seems to be an exception. Sometimes advanced players may not start a note with the tongue, allowing the sound to seem to come from no-where. This is only used in particular music situations, so as a beginner, just plan on using your tongue on every note, unless it is under a slur.
Thanks for your question!
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
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Author: KristinVanHorn
Date: 2006-08-13 21:56
johng wrote:
> Kristin: you asked "so i gather then that puffing should never
> be used?"
>
> We "always" start notes with the tongue.*
>
> Sometimes, though, we separate notes by stopping the breath and
> re-tonguing the next note. It depends on the style of the
> music. But as James clearly said, most of the time it is a
> river of air interrupted by the tongue.
>
> *In music there always seems to be an exception. Sometimes
> advanced players may not start a note with the tongue, allowing
> the sound to seem to come from no-where. This is only used in
> particular music situations, so as a beginner, just plan on
> using your tongue on every note, unless it is under a slur.
>
> Thanks for your question!
>
Thanks all for the great advise. i am using my tongue now and i think i'm starting to get the hang of it a bit.
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Author: KristinVanHorn
Date: 2006-08-14 19:48
Kristin
I'm learning tonguing now and the sound is terrible.
But i'm practicing everyday.
How long have you been playing?
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2006-08-15 00:47
Kristin,
I've been playing for many years on my own without using tonguing.
Now I'm taking lessons and so far tonguing seems to be the most difficult
thing to learn,but I think I'm getting better albeit very slowly.
KYC
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Author: KristinVanHorn
Date: 2006-08-15 00:58
Koo Young Chung wrote:
> Kristin,
>
> I've been playing for many years on my own without using
> tonguing.
>
> Now I'm taking lessons and so far tonguing seems to be the most
> difficult
>
> thing to learn,but I think I'm getting better albeit very
> slowly.
>
> KYC
i'm really curious to know if you feel like you were limited by not tonguing. i'm guessing you must be good if you have been playing for many years. i only play for fun and at school but i don't think i will make a carreer out of it though i would like to play for the rest of my life. So i'm just trying to find out if i should even bother with the tonguing thing.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-08-15 01:49
>>i don't think i will make a carreer out of it though i would like to play for the rest of my life. So i'm just trying to find out if i should even bother with the tonguing thing.<<
Yes.
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2006-08-15 05:12
Kristin
Are you taking lesson from a good teacher now?
I'm not in a position to comment on your question,but I think you should
learn.It's very frustrating for me. But I know there are no alternative.
KYC
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