 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-01-06 17:28
Many years ago, clarinet mouthpieces were such that the reed was on the top of the mouthpiece, rather than today, closer to the ground.
How was articulation (i.e. "tonguing") done under this original setup?
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-01-06 18:11
I think it was mainly the Italian players that used their MPs "inverted" ... and I understand this made articulation more difficult.
Tom
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-01-06 18:18
Probably with a much higher tongue position with the clarinet held almost horizontal - try it out and see if you can get the same tone and articulation with the reed on top.
I read on here that Gino Cioffi played clarinet for many years with the reed on top, but was forced to play it in the now normal manner with the reed underneath as he couldn't get work when people saw how he played.
I also read somewhere else the Classical era basset horns were played either held to the right side (like an alto or tenor sax) or between the knees depending on whether the player played with the reed on top or underneath - the bells for the basset horns designed to be played between the knees were flattened to an oval shape for that purpose.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2015-01-06 18:26
The story I heard about Cioffi was that he was already playing principal in the Met, he was actually asked to come over from Italy to fill that position, and played that way for some time until one of the other players suggested he try turnig the mouthpiece the other way. I was in school in NY when he was already playing in Boston but that story was fresher than it is now. Of course he had to play double lip to play with the reed on top and a high tongue position. It's even possible that the tongue didn't touch the reed but blocked the air when hitting near the tip of the mouthpiece. I've tried it for fun and it works, but only for fun for a minute or two.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-01-06 20:52
Klose regarded the reed-below embouchure as advantageous for three reasons. The tone was softer and more agreeable, the position of the tongue under the reed allowed the played to better articulate, and the overall appearance of the player was more graceful, allowing for greater powers of execution with much less effort.
Excerpt from
https://clarinetcorner.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/mouthpiece-puzzle/
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-01-07 01:35
If the comedian Steven Wright was here and knew something about clarinets, or was doing a gig at a clarinet convention, he might talk about this topic and say how he plays with the reed closer to the ground, but the instrument upside down
(wait for laughs)
...............but only the top half the instrument that is.
........and my bells and barrels sideways....no.....remaining in the case.
=-=-=-
No disrespect by the way for the explanations above...thanks. And It might take exposure to Wright's humor (or mine) to appreciate this.
Post Edited (2015-01-07 02:49)
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Author: Dibbs
Date: 2015-01-07 14:23
There's some information on this in Albert Rice's book, The Clarinet in The Classical Period. It seems that reed above players used the throat (glottle stop) and the diaphragm (ha) for articulation.
The throat thing actually works reasonably well for me.
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