 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: richard
Date: 2001-05-10 17:27
Hi!
I've just found out that, after months of relearning my articulation (not using my tongue at all [!]) I've just been told I'm anchor tonguing. Apparently some teachers tolerate it.....? Does anyone out there use anchor tonguing successfully?I'd be really grateful to hear from you. Looks like another fun bout of relearning how to tongue and sounding like a beginner for me, anyway.
Thanks,
Richard
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Author: Mario
Date: 2001-05-10 17:46
When everything is said and done about tonging, there are only two techniques that seem to remain as acceptable tonguing methods:
- tip-to-tip (Tip of tongue on tip of reed, lightly of course)
- Anchor tonguing (tip of tongue anchored somewhere low in the mouth, and contact with the reed using a point around the lower third of the tongue, with the tip staying where it it).
Everybody agrees that, if you tip-to-tip tongue, you are alright and have an excellent fundation to progress further.
With respect to anchor tonguing, I have heard, read as many pros as I have heard cons. So, really, I am not sure if it is good or not. How well is it working for you?
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Author: connie
Date: 2001-05-10 18:34
My daughter and I both were anchor tonguers...I'm still working on it, but she corrected it relatively easily during one semester's work. (She had only been playing for 6 years...I'm fighting way more years than that!) The problem I run into with it is that it is difficult for me to get the right oral cavity shape to make the upper clarion register work when I'm anchor tonguing, so the notes don't speak cleanly, especially in fast passages.
I think it's David Pino who discusses anchor tonguing in his book, and confesses to being a confirmed anchor-tonguer. He has a technique of "double-tonguing" that works for him, but I couldn't make it work. So I'm plugging away trying to relearn. I practice the tonguing exercises, but when I'm in rehearsal or concert, I still have to use the old way, or I stink.
Good luck,
Connie
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Author: J. Exner
Date: 2001-05-10 20:33
I'm one too--my story is a lot like Connie's, as my daughter is a "reformed" anchor-tonguer, while I've just made it work for me. I started that way, and nobody really noticed. It's hard for me to tongue quickly, but otherwise I do OK.
Jill E.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-05-10 20:36
Richard -
You are not alone. This has come up several times before. See my long posting on anchor tonguing from a couple of years back: http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=6899&t=6887 . There, I talk about the advantages and disadvantages and also give some exercises. I've done both and have done much better after switching from anchor to tip-to-tip style.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Lindsay M.
Date: 2001-05-10 22:06
Yeah, you are very not alone. I used to anchor tongue about three years ago (three years into playing). My teacher helped me with it A LOT! He told me to act like I was spitting out a watermelon seed or popcorn seed or something. It really helped and soon enough after TONS of practice and frusteration, I got it. It is very worth it. Your tonguing sounds clearer and faster comes easier. Good luck and hopefully this helps!
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Author: Mike Irish
Date: 2001-05-10 23:43
I use to toung with the tip of toung to top of mouth.... never touching the reed...
never did the so called " anchor " tounging....
never heard of it til now..
Mike
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Author: Julia Meyer
Date: 2001-05-11 00:13
i never heard tip of the TONGUE to top of mouth---isn't it tip of the TONGUE to tip of the reed?
Your tonguing is probably quite "thuddy" of you go to the top of your mouth.
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Author: LIZZIE
Date: 2001-05-11 00:21
you can anchor tounge until you get into being "serious" about playing the clarinet because you do get into higher levels and yes i had a problem with Anchor tounging but dont give up!
~lizzie~
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Author: Gretchen
Date: 2001-05-11 02:20
Karl Leister is perhaps the best classical clarinetist in the world, and he anchor tongues. His legato tonguing is second to none. I personally was taught tip to tip and am quite comfortable with it, but obviously you can be a top notch clarinetist either way. Perhaps most important is the length of your tongue and how your mouth is shaped.
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2001-05-11 04:11
One of my teachers anchor tongues, but didn't teach me to do so. He seems to feel that it slows his articulation down. I've heard very few players who sound good anchor tonguing, but some people seem to be able to do well no matter what they do. Personally, I change my students to tip on tip whenever I hear them anchor tonguing.
Chris
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Author: Mindy's Mom
Date: 2001-05-11 10:40
I used to anhor tounge too. Actually I stil do sometimes but my teacher is trying to get me to stop I can't tounge my high notes correctly so with my high notes I use anchor tounging which is bad
Mindy
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-05-11 12:25
Tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth... sounds like a flute convert?
The only way to get real speed (not that I have it at my command) is to use the tongue as a release valve.
My teacher has me concentrate on keeping the airflow fairly constant.
The tongue releases the reed to vibrate.
In practice, I'm sure it is stopping the reed too.
It took awhile to find a decent position, where the tongue tip was 'lurking near the net', waiting for an opportunity to score (oops, another hockey metaphor)...
The tip of the tongue is just out of the airstream, but close enough to reach the reed without appreciable delay.
The articulation difference between this approach and cutting air at the roof of the mouth is mainly in the immediacy of attack. Either way will stop the note.
When I'm tired, I use both.
When I concentrate on 'Tip to tip' articulation, I squeak.
I wonder if this is easier to practice with a double-lip hold?
anji
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-05-11 13:15
I was an anchor tonguer on the flute, and used the tip of my tongue to give support to my lower lip. I finally discovered that this was not normal, and was restricting my tonguing facility, so I stopped it. That was like being a total beginner, having to develop fine lower lip control without tongue help. An advantage of the anchor tonguing was that the tongue seemed to be always in practice from talking and eating, so it maintained good tone (by providing what the lip needed) even when I didn't practice.
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Author: Sara
Date: 2001-05-11 19:23
Good call on using the tongue as a release valve!
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2001-05-14 15:55
Yeah, I found out I was doing the same thing until last year. I still havent totally corrected it, becuz I had to rebuild my whole embouchure. It sucks!! Then I went to bass clarinet and I could not even manage to not anchor tongue. I think my anchor tonguing started with playing the Contralto, which I played for 5 years before I went back to regular clarinet.
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Author: Dave
Date: 2001-05-14 16:11
Two of the biggest classical clarinetists in the country anchor tongue, Frank Cohen and Ricardo Morales. It cant be that bad if they've gotten that far with it.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-05-15 01:42
I don't think Franklin anchor tongues - at least my son, a student of Franklin at CIM hasn't noticed and they've never discussed it, and are you sure about Morales? Eddie Palanker, one of Morales' teachers, talked about tonguiong in the last issue of The Clarinet and mentioned that Ricardo could single tongue faster than he could at an early age, but never mentioned Ricardo anchor tonguing in the article - even though he does mention it for some other students and people he knows.
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