 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetdaniel
Date: 2008-07-12 07:58
Say, you are practicing long-tone (C-scale - slur) from C1 to C2 to C3.
Where/how do you place your tongue?
Flat? Curve up in the middle? Curve up in the tip of your tongue or others?
And do your tongue position change from C1 ~ C3 (or you keep it the same?)
Thanks
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-07-12 12:47
How to place one's tongue when playing the clarinet is hard to describe and all the pictorials I've seen still don't do the job. In general tongue placement is probably best learned in consort with a good teacher. It's sort of like learnng to ride a bike. If you don't have a teacher I suggest you experiment with tongue placement until you achieve a satisfactory sound. Basically you have to get your tongue "out of the way".
Bob Draznik
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-07-12 13:24
That depends on what sound you actually want to have - if I want a soft (somewhat dull) sound, I retract the tongue away from the reed, if I want a sound with more overtones, I keep it close to the reed. You might also move it to compensate for differently sounding notes, eg throat notes vs. lower clarion notes.
Really difficult to describe, but IMHO there is not "right" and "wrong" - it depends on what you want to sound like.
--
Ben
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-07-12 13:33
You will probably get a few different opinions on this but what I do and teach is to keep your tongue in as natural and comfortable position as you can. Just let it be there, not to high, not to low. A low tongue will tend to give you an unfocused tone; too high a tongue will give you a small, choked sound. In most cases having the tongue a little higher in back so it’s just at or just below the upper molars is good and with the front of the tongue slightly lower, arched so the tip is ready to be used in tonguing and the air can pass through to the mouthpiece easily and comfortably. You should experiment because everyone’s tongue is a different size. The most important thing is not to block the airflow. I don’t change my tongue position when I go from C1 to C3. If there is a slight change it would only be in the back and than almost not noticeable, if at all. ESP www.peabody.jhu.edu/457 (Listen to a little Mozart, live recording)
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2008-07-13 21:27)
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-07-12 17:12
I'm going to second almost everything the Ed just described (and it's nice to know that I don't agree with him on everything!).
I'm firm on the back of the tongue touching the molars the entire time. The rest of my tongue slopes down and then curves back up to the reed to tongue with the tip.
Now all that's wonderful...but it may not work for you!
The most important thing (in my opinion) is that regardless of what you're doing that the tongue is always poised and ready to do it's job. (Or the first half of its job which is tonguing.)
I believe that I disagree with Ben only in his description for the reason I just stated...although perhaps I don't fully understand his position.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-07-12 19:00
Tobin wrote:
> I believe that I disagree with Ben only in his description for
> the reason I just stated...although perhaps I don't fully
> understand his position.
Hmm. Let me clarify a bit - I am an "MP3 Player" in the sense that I concentrate on things that actually can be heard, so I am somewhat relaxed with my tone on sixteenth notes but rather try to do a good job with slow and long passages. If you need to "blend in" with a backing voice, you might want to carry the sound but make it more wide, less obtrusive, and that's where I pull back my tongue (don't ask me where to exactly).
On the other hand, if I have a ff cue after someone else's cadenza, I must make it stand out, and that's where I go for a more focused tone (because it's "us" that must be heard now and not that trumpeteer).
I can't really say where my tongue is when I'm just doodling along - I'll have to check next time. Of course, you're right with the "ready" position for accentuated passages.
It's more difficult to describe (especially in a furrin language) than to do it. I guess a lot is gut feeling, and an encouraging nod from the director.
--
Ben
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Author: Band Geekette
Date: 2008-07-12 21:26
I have learned that for the lower registers you keep the back of your tounge high with the back edges touching your top molars. Say the word "kee" while you play. As you move to the upper registers, keep the edges of your tounge on the top molars but make more of a French "keau" sound by lowering the back-center of your tounge just a tiny bit.
An exercise to apply this principle is called bugling:
For high bugling, finger C2 (thumb and register) and play. When you blow, keep the back of your tounge high - as if you were playing in the lower register. This should create a dampered fzzzz sound. Then slowly, slightly lower the back-center of your tounge and the C should pop right out! Practice this with a metronome until you have complete control over the change. (This is the "easier" bugling.)
For low bugling (more difficult), finger C1 (thumb, 1, 2, 3) and play normally with good "kee" tounge positioning. Without moving your fingers, lower the back-center of your tounge a little until you get the overtone G out. Then, keep going! The instructor that demonstrated this technique went up to a C tone (like a million lines above the staff C!!!) But I can only make it to the high-E tone right now.
Hope that made sense
-Sarah- ![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif)
~ just keep playing~
Every person is a unique instrument and we all add our own beauty to the symphony of the world....*
Post Edited (2008-07-12 21:30)
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Author: ww.player
Date: 2008-07-12 22:18
Daniel, this is a very individual thing, based on the sound you want and your own physiology. The tongue's lowest position is the "ah" vowel and the highest is the "ee" vowel. Many clarinet players find the inbetween position, the "oo" sound (like in boot) to work best for general playing.
If you have a large throat and oral cavity and want a focused sound with very fast air, you will need a higher tongue position. If you have a small oral cavity and want a large, full sound, you will need a lower tongue position.
Also, studies have shown that most professional players raise the tongue slightly for the upper register. It only makes sense as the faster air helps the reed to vibrate faster for the high notes. Unfortunately, this can also make the high notes go slightly sharp but the faster and more dynamic air stream also allows for less embouchure pressure. This means you can keep jaw lower and thus play the altissimo with a fuller sound.
This can be a controversial area as many teachers insist that the tongue should stay as still as possible between registers while others maintain the tongue should be moved to "voice" each register. I recommend you find what works for you. Just be sure that you don't have tension in the tongue, wherever you put it.
Post Edited (2008-07-12 22:19)
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Author: DougR
Date: 2008-07-13 13:54
This is a fascinating discussion to me, because I recently started studying flute and sax in a serious way. I'm learning that placement of the tongue within the oral cavity is key to getting a good sound with both instruments, though I haven't quite figured out yet how that translates to clarinet. (But I can tell you that my clarinet embouchure has changed from what it was, simply by virtue of what I'm learning for alto sax.)
Common to both instruments: tongue is somewhat high and broad, spreading to both upper molars. The corresponding syllable for alto is "eeeeee" or "exxxxx", (or if you want to get fancy about it, the way a French person would pronounce "Tu"--sort of like 'teu' with the vowel sounding the schwa sound) and the tip of the tongue is just behind the reed/mouthpiece. (This is for a nice, somewhat bright and smiley alto sound, with plenty of overtones in it. If I want to "dumb down" my sound, darken it, I drop my tongue to the floor of my mouth.)
All this is by way of saying, it's a great topic and I'll be interested to hear more about how everyone approaches tongue position vs. the ideal sound you're going for on clarinet.
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