 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: suavkue
Date: 2008-09-06 18:01
(Thanks to those who helped me with the reed problems.)
I started taking private lessons in July, hoping to solve my three worst problems with playing clarinet: embouchure, tonguing, and the amount of saliva that keeps on getting in my tone (too much of it).
On my second lesson, I had asked my private teacher to teach me both the proper embouchure and tonguing. Since then, my embouchure has been fine and there has been less saliva going through my clarinet, but my tonguing is still not to the point in which I would like it to be (saliva gets in my tone a lot after tonguing).
I had asked my private teacher about this. She suggested that my "tongue is just getting tired," but I doubt it... even after about two months of trying to get it to the point where I want it, I'm still stuck with it being too loud. The tonguing is cleaner than how it was when I started taking private lessons, but I still hear tonguing noises often.
I have tried "tip of the tongue on the tip of the reed" (which I just figured out recently that I can't do it too easily since my tongue is large), and what I was taught by my teacher: using the syllables "doo" or "dah" (apparently, she wanted to avoid the "t" sound as much as possible since it makes so much noise). I have also tried just blowing through my clarinet and just putting my tongue on the reed (without using a syllable, just simply touching it), but I'm unable to tongue eighth notes with this method (more like long tones).
Thanks to whomever can help.
-----
My current equipment:
Ridenour Lyrique 576BC, Rico Reserve 4, Ridenour Hand Finished Mouthpiece, Luyben Ligature
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2008-09-06 18:09
"Tip" of tongue to the reed is not quite an accurate description. You actually use the part of your tongue just back from the tip to articulate the sound--the part f the tongue that touches the top of your mouth cavity just behind your fron teeth when to say tah (or dah). As for too much saliva in your mouth, just be sure to suck it out before playing. It may be necessary to occassionally suck in the moisture from your mouthpiece between phrases as it does acculualte as you play. Sounds "yucky" but its kind of part of the business. Hope this helps......
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2008-09-06 18:28
suavkue wrote:
>> I have tried "tip of the tongue on the tip of the reed" (which I just figured out recently that I can't do it too easily since my tongue is large), and what I was taught by my teacher: using the syllables "doo" or "dah" (apparently, she wanted to avoid the "t" sound as much as possible since it makes so much noise).>>
You might find this useful:
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Klarinet/1999/09/000395.txt
Skip over the first two or three paragraphs of the article if you find it heavy going. The most important one for you is the one labelled 'mud':-)
Tony
Post Edited (2008-09-06 18:42)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-09-06 18:55
Tonguing problems are not always black and white because people have different size tongues. Some teachers teach the same way to everyone, insisting that their way is the only correct way. Unfortunately that doesn’t work for a good number of people. So, you have to experiment. I advocate arching the tongue in back so it is near or touching the upper molars. Then bring the front of your tongue as close to the tip of the reed as you can and as close to the tip of your tongue as you can. As you can means it will be different for many people, it could be close to the tip or even a bit further back. If your tongue is on the longer side, as mine is, you will actually come up from under the reed and stroke the reed from below instead of at a straight angle as so many insist you do. Basically you have to experiment to find what works best for you. A really good teacher will not only encourage you to do this but will give you ideas on the angle and tongue position to achieve your maximum goal. It’s a shame that there are so many, including some very fine teachers, that insist all their students tongue the same way they do, mostly because it came natural to them and they have no concept of how else to tongue. The secret is to use a light stroke with as little movement as possible without blocking the air passage or choking in your throat. Experiment! ESP www.peabody.jhu.edu/457 Listen to a little Mozart
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: suavkue
Date: 2008-09-06 20:23
Thank you all for the suggestions; I'll try them later...
-----
My current equipment:
Ridenour Lyrique 576BC, Rico Reserve 4, Ridenour Hand Finished Mouthpiece, Luyben Ligature
Post Edited (2008-09-06 23:02)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2008-09-06 20:24
Ed Palanker wrote:
>> Tonguing problems are not always black and white because people have different size tongues. Some teachers teach the same way to everyone, insisting that their way is the only correct way. Unfortunately that doesn’t work for a good number of people. So, you have to experiment. >>
Yes. However, there is something that we can agree on, which is that the function of the tongue in a staccato passage is to interrupt the vibration of the reed, and then free it so that the next note can sound.
>> The secret is to use a light stroke with as little movement as possible without blocking the air passage or choking in your throat.>>
Yes, again. And, that you have to continue to blow strongly so that the next note may sound after you 'stop stopping it':-)
Something that people can find difficult about staccato is that sometimes it needs to be short, sometimes longer. (The longer sort is sometimes called 'mezzostaccato'.)
A metaphor I use to establish that the proportion of note to silence may be variable is a rather silly one, to do with fairy princesses.
The idea of the metaphor is that the staccato-cycle:
silence/note/beginning-of-next-silence
is represented by 24 hours in the life of a two fairy princesses.
They're fairy princesses because, as we know, a fairy princess rests very lightly on her bed. In fact, she's so sensitive that according to one fairytale, she can feel a dried pea under a dozen mattresses.
In the metaphor, the proportion of time the princess is asleep in bed corresponds to the proportion of time the tongue rests on the reed -- gently, you notice.
One fairy princess gets up late, and goes to bed early, while the other gets up early and goes to bed late.
(There can be lots of acting-out for younger students.)
The life of one princess corresponds to short staccato, while the life of the other princess corresponds to lightly interrupted legato.
But the point is that there is no difference in the lightness with which the two princesses rest on the bed. A sequence of abrupt, short staccato notes has just the same tongue action as a 'legato staccato' -- or 'mezzo-staccato', as I called it above.
This is quite counterintuitive, I think. Short staccato sounds as though it corresponds to violent tongue action.
So the metaphor is sometimes useful.
Tony
Post Edited (2008-09-07 09:52)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: BobD
Date: 2008-09-07 14:02
It's refreshing to have you back Tony.
Bob Draznik
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2008-09-08 11:54
>>The life of one princess corresponds to short staccato, while the life of the other princess corresponds to lightly interrupted legato.
>>
However, the fairy princesses flitter away from anchor-tonguing, ruled by earthier royalty--perhaps W. S. Gilbert's Katisha, the Mikado's daughter-in-law elect.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
