A is for Articulation! (A-Z of Clarinet)

[@Weelassdownunder]

Great content! Looking forward to B!

[@jean-marcbrunet2986]

Hi Philip. I’m just starting to listen your A to Z vidéo. I found them very instructive. I just hope to go all the way to Z.

[@philipeverall6]

Thank you so much! I have every intention of getting to Z - just had a busy year. I should be seeing you all again soon :)

[@michaelbpastor]

Sing through the clarinet 👍great video

[@philipeverall6]

Yes! Thank you!

[@tsuarezpis]

I like this video

[@philipeverall6]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy my other videos too. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions for me :)

[@Stooky_Person]

Very stooky, cannot wait for the next episode, it’ll *b* stooky. Also, love the editing and the overall production

[@philipeverall6]

STOOOOOKY

[@Stooky_Person]

Stooooooky indeed

[@RemunJ]

I certainly will bring this to the test. Actually it is quite bizarre no one ever told me this technique in all those years studying the clarinet in my early years. Thanks a lot for bringing it up. 👍😃🎶

[@philipeverall6]

You’re very welcome! It’s one of those things that sounds obvious once you hear it - but sometimes we just need that prompt. Thank you for watching!

[@davidgriffiths8682]

Brilliant!! 😅

[@kiragunn8075]

This is great, I almost want to learn the clarinet now!!!!

[@philipeverall6]

….almost…

[@kyaniteschmidt7658]

Great stuff! I really like how you related it all back to the alphabet. I wonder what x will be… a how to on preforming xylophone duets perhaps? I’m surprised this is only your second video, it feels way more polished and professional than I would have expected!

[@philipeverall6]

Thank you for the kind words! Yep… X is going to be super niche!

[@whoitisnot]

I wish I understood the point of the Uhl based exercise better. I'd be afraid of acquiring the very bad habit of being tense while articulating. It seems to present at least as much risk as possible benefit? Love the point about singers. Vocal pedagogy is also very interesting and has led me to think about tone color in many useful ways that I've only rarely heard from instrumental teachers. Thanks for the video!

[@philipeverall6]

Thanks for the comment! Yep - the singing/vocal thing is special to me. I’m also fortunate to work with some incredible singers on a daily basis, so that helps too! As for the Uhl - I absolutely understand the concern. Maybe for me a large part of it is to try to maintain correct form while doing extremes. I liken it to weight lifting; if you do it safely, you get strong. Stronger than you’d need in fact… but, it’s better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener during a war… (or something like that!)

[@threetenticlesforward]

I have no ambitions to learn clarinet 😂 but love your story telling abilities. Great video

[@philipeverall6]

Thanks!! So kind of you! (It’s never too late to learn… ;) )

[@threetenticlesforward]

Lol. Well i never say never but it will have to wait until I master guitar so may be a very very long wait.

[@lamprete]

What is your notion about the location the tongue should touch? Everywhere you hear "the tongue at a bit behind its tip should touch the tip of the reed." However when I observe the part my tongue is touching, it's rather my lower lip, where it's covering the teeth. Do you think that I should work on the "correct" tonguing at the reed? (When I lift the clarinet higher, eventually the tongue does touch the reed, though.) Do you actually mean that the tonguing consonant could be anything, e.g. like "ng", at times? In which part of the music would you use such an unusual consonant? (Although sometimes I do "articulate" a particularly soft cue with an "h", i.e. no tonguing at all.)

[@philipeverall6]

Hi! Thanks for your comment. Honestly, you can do whatever is most comfortable - but doing things the “right” way (tip to tip) will get you a cleaner articulation. For me, I touch the tip of the reed with a spot on my tongue that is just back from the tip (maybe 3/15” -5mm back). The important thing is that you touch the tip of the reed - that’s where you’ll have most control over stopping/releasing the vibration of the reed, and you won’t need to touch the reed with as much pressure. That’s just the way I do it - you can find what works, but it is worth experimenting. As for different consonant sounds, what I really mean is emulating those sounds; not necessarily making the physical movements that produce them in speech…. That said, there are some sounds (lah, nah, thah…) where it’s pretty close! The most important thing is that you’re thinking about your sound and trying to create beauty. All the best!

[@1cleandude]

So don’t close the reed tip against the mpiece! ???

[@philipeverall6]

Nope! You can if you want - or if that’s what your teacher tells you, but all you need to do to articulate is to stop the vibration. You don’t need to push the reed so hard that it closes - plus that stops the air flow for that brief moment. Experiment with touching the reed just a little lighter and see… there’s no 100% right answer :)

[@1cleandude]

@@philipeverall6 thanks Phillip I was trying to close it shut and getting frustrating results! If I haven’t subscribed will do so now! Thanks 🙏🙏🙏

[@philipeverall6]

@@1cleandude awesome, thank you! Good luck with it - and please let me know how you go :)

[@Lizzy-68]

OMG IM YOUR 1k sub

[@philipeverall6]

Thank you so much! Exciting times :)