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Re: Anchor Tonguing

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2018-11-05 21:29

Anonymoose wrote:

> I've been working on this issue with a teacher, ...
> So here is my problem. How do I transition to use this
> tip-to-tip tonguing full time? How would I go about doing that?
> How long would this transition last?
>

Is your teacher a clarinetist? If so, how does he answer these questions?

Whether or not to change or to refine the way you tongue is a choice. There are good players who anchor their tongues, which results in somewhere mid-tongue contacting the reed. You don't say what the tip of your tongue is doing when you "tongue the tip of the reed with the middle of my tongue." Is your tongue anchored to the back of your bottom teeth?

There must be a ton of postings about this - search the history here to see what people have said over the years. I don't think that anchor tonguing needs to be thuddy or heavy, although yours may be (as you suggest above). It can be done lightly in such a way that a listener isn't aware of your technique. So, you have a real choice to make.

If you choose to change, don't use "tip-to-tip" as a literal goal - everyone's tongue lengths and shapes are different. Articulating at the tip of the reed gives a clean release ("attack" - start to the note) but the best place on your tongue to make contact depends on your own comfort. If using the very tip causes contortion and any degree of added tension, find a spot on the top surface of your tongue that doesn't.

Karl

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