Author: salzo
Date: 2009-11-29 17:12
Something I have noticed in my own playing, and my students, is that sloppy rapid tonguing is usually an indication that one is not "starting" properly. Often, the problem is the entrance, and once you start wrong, it is very difficult (I would say impossible) to correct it in passage. Basically, one is not "ready and set", they just go.
The best "staccato study". is measure 43 of the Rondo in the Mozart. Often, Ill have a student who tries to play this, and winds up practically breaking their tongue trying to get through it.
I then ask them to play just the first note with the metronome. Almost always they get set on the first note, rather than before. I tell them they should already be ready, well beyond the 16th rest at the beginning of the passage. I tell them to have their tongue on the reed, and just lift it off to start the first note. They will often flinch right before starting the first note. I explain that the only thing that should move when playing the first note, is the tongue. it is absolutely amazing how difficult it is to just move the tongue, and it is all due to being tense, and excessive work on what is very simple.. When they can finally do it with the metronome, I have them play two notes-usually, they are able to do the first two notes. I have them do this a few times, reminding them when they finally play the entire passage, they have to start the exact same way they did when just doing the first and second note. Finally, I have them play the entire passage, most of the time, they get it immediately after spending much time working on just the first two notes. One thing I find is critical for working on tonguing is the metronome. Problems with tonguing are due to excessive work. Using metronome takes away the time one takes to do all of those things that are not only unecessary, but are the actual reasons one is having difficulty with the tongue. It is not the tongue-it is everything else one is doing that causes tonguing problems.
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