 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: knappyman
Date: 2009-06-15 05:00
Hey all,
I'm playing the West Side Story Symphonic Dances with an orchestra this coming Saturday, and the only thing I'm having trouble with is the flutter tonguing in the "Cool" section. The altissimo Ab in the first solo is fine, but the other notes (Ab below that, then B and D above that) are not responding as well. I think it's in the approach as they all are ascending leaps. I can't actually flutter tongue (yet), so I growl. Any suggestions or exercises to practice these efficiently?
Thanks
~Jeremy
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2009-06-15 06:10
Flutter can be difficult depending on the register. I would suggest doing it away from the instrument at first. Try trrrrrr or prrrrr. If you can do this then proceed to "moving air"....ie place your hand in front of your mouth and try to project an airstream onto the palm while vocalizing trrrr or prrrrr. The airstream is necessary for making the reed vibrate when you later apply this to the clarinet. The airstream will go slightly down when fluttering.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-06-15 08:26
Arnoldstand wrote:
<<The airstream will go slightly down when fluttering.>>
Yes. That was my problem the first time I tried doing this--you have to use more air or the notes won't come out.
Last time I played this solo, I found it helpful to use this fingering for the altissimo Ab--it's easier to flutter on because it's a lot more responsive than other fingerings:
TR o x x | x o x (F#/C# key)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-06-15 10:31
Growling is probably the better option as I reckon that's more of the intentional sound effect (and the brass players probably do that anyway), and it's much easier to do than flutter tongueing.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: knappyman
Date: 2009-06-16 04:53
Thanks for the suggestions, especially the fingering. The lower A-flat is the bigger problem, but it's tutti winds, so I probably just won't "flutter" on that. I think the growling is the way to go for this concert, but learning the proper technique is on my list.
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Author: oliver sudden
Date: 2009-06-16 08:57
Youtube seems to have become quite a source for this sort of thing:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=flutter+tongue&aq=f
I haven't looked at any of them myself though - as with slaptongue I've never had any problems doing it, which for me as a performer is a lucky thing but which makes it hard for me to suggest how to learn it!
(I couldn't do the throat-flutter variety for a while, then started learning German. Hop, it worked.)
For what it's worth, when I do it it's usually not the whole of my tongue that flutters: the left-hand edge stays on the hard palate just above the teeth while the right-hand edge does the flutter thing, and even then not all the way to the tip. Any other flutterers find this?
As far as throat-flutter goes, if I try to practise that without the instrument I need to do it with a little bit of voice: not to do that while playing the instrument, just that that makes the airstream more realistic.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-06-16 17:45
By growling I assume you mean in your throat. I flutter tongue by "gargling" in my throat. A technique I picked up from when my mother had me do that when I had a soar throat using mouthwash or whatever concoction she had me use. I would half swallow it, gargle it, and then spit it out. You might mean the same thing when you say growl. If so I think you may need to relax your embouchure a bit until the notes begin to flutter and then firm as much as needed to keep it going. When I do it up higher sometimes it takes a second to begin to flutter. If all else fails just move your tongue back and forth, from side to side, on the reed lightly to get some kind of effect. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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