The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: lynn
Date: 2001-03-08 01:08
OK, I have a student who refuses to tongue....because she says that when she does, her mouthpiece becomes "clogged" with saliva!!!! Not that she can't do it (she can). She just grosses out, so she won't, LOL.
Anyone know what causes this and how she can get her spit together....? (no.... I didn't say that...)
Lynn
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Author: Jo
Date: 2001-03-08 02:07
The only way that's really going to go away is for her to keep practicing. That's what I have found. Tell her that if she wants to get better, she is going to have to tongue properly. Otherwise, she is just going to be held back in her playing.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2001-03-08 02:23
I kinda had this problem big time when a few years ago I got around to tonging properly via my instructor. I'm one of those "juicy" players with a puddle between my feet. My instructor told me to swallow more but also tilt my head back more (raise the stand if need be) so the spit will flow back where its supposed to go. This helped a lot! I still get a good sized puddle if I'm doing something I have to concentrate more on like sight reading but when I remember to tilt my head back, I don't have much of a problem. Hope this helps.
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-03-08 04:45
The only sure way to avoid spit problems is to switch to strings or percussion.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-03-08 11:50
Spit keeps flowing, much more for some than others, so it needs to be collected somewhere until it can be swallowed. I think probably the only appropriate place is where I collect it, in a cavity behind my lower teeth, under my tongue.
If your student is filling this cavity somehow then of course the spit is just going to keep coming out. I suspect the student is either putting too little mouthpiece in the mouth to make a cavity, or filling the cavity with the tip of the tongue while tongueing further back on the tongue. Or perhaps the teeth are very short.... or missing! Or perhaps there is more soft tissue there than most people have. Or perhaps she is filling the cavity by tensing up the muscle which is inside this soft tissue......
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