 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: aero145
Date: 2009-05-04 14:22
Hello BB’ers!
Only a very short time ago, a teacher of mine ”noticed” (well not physically, as one needs a Röntgen machine for that :-P) a thing I have always been doing wrong on the clarinet (only the soprano ones) when playing high (G-5 and higher). The shape of the tongue is like when you say the ”c” in cauliflower; that is, it restricts the airflow so there’s far too much pressure on the lips and it’s difficult to get the tone satisfying.
I also play the bass clarinet and I seem to be doing the things just fine there.
I wanted to ask if any of you have heard of this problem/have had the same problem/know the solution of this problem. I have spoken with quite many people about this case and most have said that it’s just a matter of using better support, and that the tongue would be more correctly formed if the support would be better. I don’t have any problems similar to this on the bassoon, everything seems just fine there too like with the bass clarinet.
Sorry for the bad setup of the message, English is not my first language!
Best regards,
DAE
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-05-04 15:41
For me, what works is putting a little "AH" and a little "OO" (as in "moon")vowel sound into my mouth shape, which makes me lower my jaw and round my lips a little.
I also got great advice from a singing teacher, who said to keep my tongue soft and "fluffy" as it lies in the bottom of my mouth.
Use the swab-in-the-bell exercise I've described before to find the proper resonance for the 7th overtone. Stuff a cotton swab or handkerchief up the bell tight, finger third line B and blow like the wind. You'll get the fourth-space Eb, which you can move up several harmonics by adjusting your tongue and air. Practice bugle calls, jumping up and down the harmonic ladder, which is good for learning the proper voicing for the altissimo.
Then relax, voice the 7th overtone and let the notes play themselves.
Ken Shaw
Post Edited (2009-05-05 16:16)
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Author: aero145
Date: 2009-05-04 16:35
Thank you Ken for the answer!
When I try to do the ”tuh” with the tongue fluffy the back of it gets very ”c-in-cauliflower”-ish.
The swab-in-the-bell exercise sounds very interesting and I’m looking forward to trying it, but the third space B… what is that? B3 or B4?
Thanks again!
DAE
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-05-05 01:00
If your tongue is as high as mine goes when saying the "C" as you indicated I would say that you are blocking off the air and not allowing the free flow. Though it is true that most players raise the back of their tongue when playing up high, too much can be worse than not enough. Check out my basics and tonguing articles on my clarinet page on my website. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-05-05 11:28
Thanks for that correction Ken, I was wondering if I had missed something years ago.
Bob Draznik
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Author: aero145
Date: 2009-05-05 15:24
Third-line B, thanks!
Ed: I’m aware that the position of the tongue is wrong; that’s why I came to this forum to ask for help in the first place! :o) It is indeed often as high as you got while saying the ”C”, unfortunately.
Edit: Forgot: Glued to your website, thank you!
Post Edited (2009-05-05 15:29)
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2009-05-06 09:45
David wrote:
>> Only a very short time ago, a teacher of mine ”noticed” (well not physically, as one needs a Röntgen machine for that :-P) a thing I have always been doing wrong on the clarinet (only the soprano ones) when playing high (G-5 and higher).>>
It may interest you to read:
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Klarinet/2005/05/000454.txt
...which, even though it holds out little hope of your being able to do consciously what it says, may act as a corrective influence on your reading of what some others say you 'should' be doing.
As Ken says, experience is the key.
Tony
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Author: aero145
Date: 2009-05-06 12:34
Yes, it interested me a lot! Thank you!
The high position of my tongue is not my only problem, one can also see far too much movement of the Mylohyoideus when voicing loudly and playing voicing any note fast. I think it is related to the wrong position of the tongue, but I still cannot figure it out, my teacher and other clarinetists also.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-05-07 03:20
The bottom line though is that everyone is different which is why in the long run if you can't do it as many players and teachers suggest than do what I say in all my articles, experiment to find what works best for you, not what works for someone else. I always begin teaching a student the way I think is correct if they were having a problem. If that doesn't work I have them experiment with different tongue positions until we find the optimum position for the student. You're tongue may be bigger, thicker, fatter, smaller, thinner etc. than others that do it the "right" way so you have to find what works best for you. ESP
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