 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-06-07 22:45
Yesterday, while working on Rose etude #2 of the 32, I came across a stumbling block. When tonguing the D, E, F altissimo, the notes sounded with a mild but annoying thwwad sound like a laughing technique and not pretty. I decided to try to get a purer sound by doing an exercise I heard of where one slurs from clarion E to altissimo C# (by lifting the left hand F key - second register key) --- then clarion F to altissimo D, then clarion G to altissimo E, and clarion Ab to altissimo F. That went pretty well but it was a little harder to get the tongued jumps clean, natural and light, even though some of attempts went well even to do that. A few times I was even able to get quick clean tongues from altissimo D to E to F (required of Rose #2) and then the next time I tried it once again sounded like ugly horse laughs. Again I went from slurs to slow tongues to quicker with some success.
Today the tongued altissimo didn't go as well, and I can't remember exactly what I did the previous day to make it work. It seems I was thinking projecting high air but I don't even know what high air means. How do I teach myself how to do this and then repeat my successes for a constant improvement? How do I teach myself high air when I can't even picture what occurs when I'm able to do it?
It's possible I'm just tired today from practicing the altissimo so much yesterday. In any event, I still don't know what I'm trying to do and I need a better picture to focus on.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-06-08 01:18
Garth -
For the clarion-to-altissimo slurs, don't lift your left index finger. That works only for E/C#. For the higher notes, you need to roll or slide your fingertip down just a little, so that the hole is only half open (or even less than half).
For the tonguing, concentrate on keeping your tongue movements as small as possible. Remember that the tongue doesn't start the tone. It stops the reed from vibrating and then moves effortlessly away so that the reed can vibrate again. It's the air that makes your tone, not your tongue.
For the D-E-F
1. Play it slurred. Keep your embouchure the same as when you play the preceding chalumeau and clarion notes. You play higher not by biting but by blowing.
2. Play it slurred and, without moving your tongue, think about brushing the area just back of the tip of your tongue against the area just back of the tip of the reed.
3. Play it slurred and move your tongue, but just miss the reed.
4. Play it slurred and just brush your tongue on the reed and let it bounce off.
That's it. Do the same thing on the descending scale that follows.
It helps to watch yourself in a mirror. You especially want to avoid moving your jaw (chewing) or your adam's apple.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-06-08 23:20
It did work for me! I guess I've been reading about half holing and I figured it was some difficult technique for advanced players used for pitch correction. As it turns out, half holing seems to be essential for me to have some ease in the altissimo. I wonder why so many books fail to mention it. If I'm not wrong David Pino doesn't talk about it, and neither does the Rubank book. In fact the fingering chart specifically omits any discussion of half holing.
Now, it does seem that learning to cover half a hole is a difficult and inexact science. The note pops out with 1/3 of a hole uncovered, 1/2 a hole uncovered but if less than 1/3 is uncovered, the note fails to speak cleanly. That doesn't leave much room for error. We're talking about 1/8 inch possible variation between success and failure. In fast passages I found it difficult to land the finger perfectly in the half hole position.
Additionally, I did find the suggestion to just miss and then just barely touch the reed for tonguing. This is going to be a keeper practice for me.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-06-10 20:35
Just an update on the advise that was given to me on this board about rolling or sliding the left index finger to achieve the altissimo. First off, the note has a lighter, cleaner tonality. Secondly, the response is faster and the note sounds more like the notes lower down the scale rather than strange abberations of the clarinet. The most interesting aspect for me was that with four days practice, I actually didn't notice the finger moving substantially and it was more like I just thought the high note rather than having a distinctively different index finger position. In this regard, the altissimo has become substantially easier. Thank You all.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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