 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BaconLord
Date: 2020-06-15 02:43
I recently learned that I’m anchor tonguing, so I’m practicing the standard way (tip to tip).
I’m having issues with putting too much tongue in the reed. I’m trying to use the tip of my tongue to touch just barely under the actual tip of the reed, but instead I’m having problems controlling the amount of tongue when it touches the reed. I’m currently putting the first about 3 cm of my tongue on the reed, so I get “wah” sounds when I try to articulate. Also it’s hard for me to feel what part of the tongue is touching the reed (aside from the middle of course).
Any tips in general for this? And any pointers for easing the transition?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-06-15 03:55
Robert Marcellus once said learning how to tongue properly is like potty training.
It is a slow and often not so pleasant sort of training.
Break it down to literally moving your tongue in slow motion toward the reed until you feel the buzz against your tongue (weird, but you get past that sensation after about a week) and continue until the reed stops vibrating. You can then quickly remove your tongue to get the next sound but be conscious of the fact that you are not adding any more pressure to the reed than what is necessary to damp the sound. Keep in mind that the note is produced by the tongue LEAVING the reed, not hitting the reed.
You may ask, "where does the force come from for a louder note or more forceful attack?" The answer is that this is produced by more air (or a burst of more air in the example of a sforzando). All the tongue ever does is stop the sound.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: sal
Date: 2020-07-24 21:06
Before setting embouchure, place tip of tongue on tip of reed, THEN set your embouchure. I find most tongue issues are actually embouchure issues.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2020-07-25 00:12
BaconLord wrote:
> I’m currently putting the first about 3 cm of my tongue
> on the reed, so I get “wah” sounds when I try to
> articulate. Also it’s hard for me to feel what part of the
> tongue is touching the reed (aside from the middle of course).
>
You've put your finger on part of the problem - it's really hard to know what's touching the reed - how much of the tongue and where. Beyond a certain point it's guessing, and you can end up trying too hard to do it "right" and getting tongue-tied in the process. Try saying/singing a passage before you try to play it. Your articulation when you speak or sing is very close to what's needed. Use spoken articulation as a model to try to duplicate.
In my experience, the "wah" sound comes when you move your mouth (embouchure, jaw) in the process of tonguing. That's often because your tongue is moving too far or in a direction that forces your jaw to open. Or you may be pinching in the process of changing your tonguing process so that you have to open your mouth to relieve some of the pressure on the reed. Again, when you speak or sing, you naturally separate sounds with your tongue and it doesn't, I'm pretty confident, force jaw movement.
Tonguing against a clarinet reed is, of course, different in some ways from speech - the reed intrudes into the middle of your mouth so you aren't tonguing against the hard palate, which is why articulation on a clarinet presents, I think, unique problems. But the sensations are very similar.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2020-07-25 17:22
Tonguing is the most difficult aspect of clarinet playing to teach because the teacher has to go by what the student tells them what they are doing and listening. The teacher can not see what the students tongue is actually doing. One of my well known teachers told me I "didn't sound like i was tonguing properly". After several experiments and much confusion on my part he asked me to open my mouth so he can try to see what I'm doing. He than conclude that my tongue so to wide or thick, can't remember exactly, and I should go back to what I was doing and work at it. My other teachers, also well known, never mentioned a problem only encouraged me to practice tonguing faster and lighter, I didn't need encouragement, and I never really had a problem until I got much older. I never had an extra fast tongue but adequate enouigh to allow me a 51 year professional sympnony career.
Check out my website, I have some suggestions that might help. Tongue placement is very important and not always the same for everyone.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: EbClarinet
Date: 2020-08-04 00:31
r u in college? If u're in college or taking lessons @ this level, then u're tonguing will improve. I've seen college level players go from a slow tongue to tonguing technical passages very rapidly.
Why when I was in 7th grade, I got moved up 2 1st parts during football season because a band member called me turbo tongue.
as long as u're not making the "ta da ta da" sound, then u'll b alright. Tonguing etudes should help u nicely. B encouraged, this is some thing we all go through and deal with.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/mbtldsongministry/
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2020-08-04 00:35
EbClarinet wrote:
> as long as u're not making the "ta da ta da" sound, then u'll b
> alright.
What's wrong with "ta da ta da" for fast passages?
Karl
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2020-08-04 02:38
kdk wrote:
> > What's wrong with "ta da ta da" for fast passages? >>
Should be “dud-ud-ud-ud…” :-)
Tony
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2020-08-04 04:21
Tony Pay, I haven't seen that before! Very cool!
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2020-08-05 01:11
Bob Bernado wrote:
>> Tony Pay, I haven't seen that before! Very cool! >>
You're joking, surely?
It's THE fundamental thing to say about staccato.
Tony
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