 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: CuriousClarinet
Date: 2011-12-05 05:32
So somewhat recently I've been trying to fix my tonguing. I posted about it when I first started attempting. The problem was, after about nine years of incorrectly tonguing, when I tongue, my tongue naturally hits the roof of my mouth instead of the reed. Which I've known for a long time causes problems, but have ignored it until I couldn't anymore. To make a long story short, I can now tongue on the reed well enough in the lower register (when I concentrate on it and the tempo is slow enough). But the higher/faster I play the worse it gets. For example, I'm currently working on the 3rd movement of the Mozart Concerto. When I tongue it correctly not only can I hear the notes but there is also an audible "undertone" when my tongue hits the reed. It's hard to explain... my teacher tells me that it's because I'm not keeping my tongue out of my throat and suggests thinking "e" to prevent it. When I do that, it helps center the tone but I can still hear the undertone. Any suggestions on how to fix this? I have a growing suspicion that I have accidently learned anchor tonguing, if this is the case, is it what could be causing the sound?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-12-05 12:31
I might suggest that you are just beginning on this path and are hearing things that will slowly develop OUT of your playing. For tonguing of any considerable speed you need to engage the reed....... BECAUSE (many of us that is) can only single tongue so fast and the technique to increase that deficiency is DOUBLE tonguing where you alternate a spot a little further back on the tongue against the roof of your mouth with the regular tonguing (this is akin to saying 'Tee-Kee, Tee-Kee, Tee-Kee' etc.).
.............good luck,
...........................Paul Aviles
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2011-12-05 15:14
Make sure your embouchure is fully supporting the reed at the beginning of the tongue stroke. Sometimes some of my students have had this problem and it's typically fixed by paying attention to the embouchure at the moment just before the tongue stroke.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-12-05 17:23
If you're anchor tonguing, you'll be pressing your lower lip with your tongue. Either compromising your tone when you move your tongue, or compromising your articulation when you avoid disturbing your lower lip.
If you can't get an authoritative STOP to your sound taT taT taT, you're probably anchored.
If you can't feel the tip of the reed, you're probably anchored.
One check it to stick your tongue out, put the reed tip against it and then retract everything in to playing position and play a short staccato passage.
Don't ask me how I know...
Bob Phillips
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-12-05 21:24
Quote:
I might suggest that you are just beginning on this path and are hearing things that will slowly develop OUT of your playing. Unfortunately, Paul, that was NOT the case with me and this is the demon that I've been fighting against most recently...
Here's some exercises that my instructor has given me that have really helped me (I hardly ever grunt now...)
1) Make sure you have a VERY steady, strong stream of air. Don't stop the stream when you tongue. Set the metronome at 60. Place your tongue on the tip of the reed, and blow air for one beat, then 'release' the reed to allow it to vibrate and play an open G, then place the tongue back on the reed. Continue this for about a minute. One way to check if you have a steady uninterrupted stream is to SLIGHTLY leak air out of the corner of your mouth. If you can hear a steady stream of air, it's a good airstream. Me? I used to hear a stronger "puff" of air when tonguing a note which meant it wasn't steady. Don't leak air long, only a VERY short time to make sure you have a steady stream. You don't want leaky air to become a habit!
2) Developing this, keep an open G, still at 60, but here's the 16th note pattern with a | to mark the measures... (o = short staccato 16th note, _ = rest)
| o o o o | o _ _ _ | o o o o | o _ _ _ | o o o o | o o o o | o o o o | o _ _ _|
Repeat for 4 minutes, rest for one minute, repeat for 5 minutes.
Keep a STEADY airstream throughout, and try to keep the tongue very light.
3) Set the metronome to 60 and play a low A for two beats. As lightly as possible, touch the tongue to the tip of the reed. It's possible to get it so light as to feel the touch, but not interrupt the sound or only make a VERY slight "click" in the sound without stopping it. Do this for three half notes, then press the register key while tonguing to go to an E for three half notes, then lift your index finger to trigger the third octave and lightly tongue that C#. Go chromatically, through thumb F/C/altissimo A.
These helped bring my tongue under control, helped my single tongue staccato GREATLY improve in precision and speed. The steady airstream made me concentrate on not "puffing" with each note. Altogether, it has helped immensely and my staccato has greatly improved, and the slight undertone or "grunt" with each note has greatly diminished. Still working on it, and I try to do these every day (I've been slacking recently with the exercises because I have more group rehearsals for Christmas stuff), but it's part of my daily warmup/practice routine.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2011-12-05 21:25)
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Author: TianL
Date: 2011-12-06 19:48
play your best clarion F and hold it. notice how your throat and your embouchure are. now try tonguing it. make sure as you tongue it, everything stays just the same as when you were holding the note. i'm almost certain that as your tongue moves, something else is also moving or in a different position.
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Author: CuriousClarinet
Date: 2011-12-07 01:21
Hmm.. I've been reading and trying all of the ideas suggested but still not sure what is causing it. I don't think I'm moving anything when I'm tonguing, and it's not anchor tonguing. =p I switched to a different mouthpiece and that helps the tone but not really the tongue problem... (it was worth a shot) I almost wonder if I'm 'hitting' the reed too hard when I tongue... is that possible? Because that's kinda what it sounds like.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-12-07 02:40
If you're hitting the reed hard, there's a good chance that it's cause other muscles to move as well (throat, jaw, something like that). Try to move the tongue very slowly and as little as possible, focusing on ONLY moving the tongue to the reed, and away from the reed. Keep the airstream steady, and everything else still except the tongue.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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