Clarinet For Dummies by David Etheridge

Author:David Etheridge
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2010-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

Starting notes: Going on the attack

Whenever you begin playing a piece or a passage, go on the attack — a tongued attack, that is. An attack is the manner in which you begin playing a piece or a passage, and for clarinet music, all pieces begin with a tongued attack. This launches the piece or passage with force and makes the initial note more distinctive.

The amount of force on attacks depends on the mood and style of the piece you are playing.

To tongue a note, touch the tip of your tongue to the tip of the reed and release it with a T sound before hissing. Try it without the clarinet by saying “T-heeee.”

Imagine you’re holding a faucet handle with your right hand and you want a drink of water. As soon as you turn that handle, the water starts pouring out, because it’s ready and waiting, pushing against the valve until that valve opens and lets it go. Use the same technique to tongue. Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth and let air build up behind it like the water pressure builds inside the pipe. Release your tongue and blow — “T-heeee.”

A tongued attack is typically indicated by the letter “t” or “tu,” because the tongue usually behaves the same way it does when pronouncing “T” or “Tuh.” You can, however, use a different letter or syllable to tongue notes, such as “D” or “Deh,” which is usually preferable when fast tonguing. (See Chapter 14 for more about fast tonguing.)

Separating repeated notes and successive notes that change pitch

You can tongue staccato or non-staccato style to separate notes that change pitch. With staccato, you tongue at the beginning and end of the note, as explained later in the section “Adding space between notes staccato style.” Non-staccato, the most common form of tonguing, is more subtle but still adds space between the notes. To tongue non-staccato style, here’s what you do:

Touch the tip of your tongue to the tip of the reed, bending the reed to the tip rail.

Resist the urge to move your jaw. You don’t move your jaw when pronouncing “D” or “T,” so don’t do it when you’re tonguing on the clarinet. All motion should be inside your mouth.

Keep the air flowing. Stop the reed vibration, not the air flow.

With the reed in place, tongue the eighth notes shown in Figure 9-7, touching the tip of the reed instead of the tip rail to separate the repeated notes with “Tee-tee-tee.”

Practice tonguing to separate notes by playing “Boogie Woogie” (see Figure 9-8) and “Ode to Joy” (Figure 9-9).

Figure 9-8: Play “Boogie Woogie,” separating repeated notes with “tee” (Track 18).

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