Are You Tonguing Wrong? The Do's & Don'ts of Clarinet Articulation

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[@sharithefirefly]

I joined concert band on a whim this college semester after not playing for 5 years 😅 My teacher never taught me how to tongue in high school. Our first concert of the semester is this week and I think I finally learned to tongue from this video 🎉🙏🏿 THANK YOU

[@tammit1188]

Thank you, Callie! Tonguing is my worst enemy. I played all through school, 4th grade through 12th, without a clue about proper tonguing. I put my clarinet away for 45 years. I have been back to playing over the past year. It is much more difficult than I ever dreamed it would be, but so fun. Who knew that tonguing on the roof of the mouth was incorrect?? Certainly not me!! This is a very difficult habit to break, especially in the clarion range for me. Thank you for all of your videos and lessons. You are so appreciated!

[@callyclarinet]

Thanks for sharing, Tammi, and for your kind words! 🎶 You’re such a good musician and tonguing will get easier with time!

[@Jeff_Panasuik]

Thank you for captioning this! Learning to play with clarinet wearing cochlear implant is amazing experience. Your video’s closed captions were incredibly beneficial for me to understand and practice. Not everyone who plays a music have perfect hearing. :) Cally, thank you.

[@callyclarinet]

You are welcome!! Thank you for the feedback!

[@adrianpaulwynne]

thank you for another useful video. I'm a beginner on day 3 of my clarinet journey and I think you just saved me from doing things wrong for several years :)

[@callyclarinet]

Glad it was helpful! Good luck on your journey :-)

[@alistairmn7796]

OMG! I've been playing clarinet for 8 years and I've always done roof of the mouth tonguing! Thank yo so much for this, I will spend this weekend practicing on tonguing for sure :D

[@callyclarinet]

You're welcome! Good luck!! When I made the switch it was a struggle for me to lighten on the tongue pressure, but it was so worth the hours of practice. 🎶

[@barryfleischer6553]

Excellent instruction on articulation. Thank you.

[@ajbrautigam]

I had been playing clarinet and bass clarinet for nearly 10 years before my college instructor told me I had been anchor tonguing the whole time. I was able to make it work for the most part but every once in a while I thudded on the reed and couldn't tongue fast enough for a given passage which is what made him question me on it. it discouraged me so much that I've barely played for the past couple of years but I'm trying to get back into it. needless to say, unlearning it is going to be a huge pain but watching videos like this one is helping so thank you!!

[@kennethroberts2748]

My first Clarinet lesson was in the studio, then; Coved 19. My second lesson and since, Zoom. I missed the personal attention with the basics. Thank you for this Video.

[@aspenx1304]

Thank you Cally, getting back into Clarinet this really helps.

[@callyclarinet]

You're welcome! Glad you're getting back to clarinet :-)

[@lyndafoster9437]

Thank you

[@michaelbarela2953]

Great job! Very informative! I write for orchestra and play most instruments. Played a clarinet last night for the first time & noticed my notes were much too breathy! Loosening the reed made the notes easier to play, but still too airy. Thank you!!! 🎶

[@karenmickel6205]

Thank you for actually showing the correct tonguing method. You're the first.

[@callyclarinet]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TheSaxRunner05]

I anchor tongued for quite awhile, but dropped the habit eventually. It only felt natural at the time because I had done it for a couple years.

[@cloudyflopped_]

Oh my! 😭 I didn’t know that I was doing tonging wrongly ;-; this is such a clear tutorial to correct me!! Thank you so much I swear you are a life saviour.

[@callyclarinet]

Thank you for the nice comment!!! Best of luck in your clarinet journey!

[@williamrappaport9203]

I always enjoy your videos. Here’s how I think of articulation: I say “toot,” and deliberately remove my tongue from the reed each time I say it. Toot can be a single note or two (or more) slurred notes. I find that practicing the slurred version of an articulated passage helps me, especially if I practice it slowly with fast snaps of the fingers and left thumb coupled with steady leverage of the clarinet against my upper teeth with my right thumb. I then practice the passage as printed, slowly with “removal-toot.” If I persist for a period of days, it works well for me. Perhaps there’s a better way! But this is basically what I do.

[@williamrappaport9203]

I also touch about an 1/8th of an inch or so back on the top side of the tongue to about a 1/4 inch down from the edge of the reed.

[@barendscholtus1786]

Hi Cally, when my tongue (almost) touches the reed, it feels like a big mosquito stuck between the MP and tongue! Is that right? Do I have to get used to that? Or is this reed too soft?

[@PinacoladaMatthew]

it's scary there're private teachers out there teaching air tonguing....

[@Jwellsuhhuh]

It’s scary there’s private teachers who lose their temper when the student doesn’t understand the instruction. Part of pedagogy includes learning to be patient and you can easily tell these kinds of “teachers” never went through proper training

[@Clarinetman62]

You’re in for a rude awaking. Studying with principal players in major orchestra doesn’t mean they’re nice. Some are down right mean. If you don’t have a tough skin you won’t make it as a clarinetist.

[@mozarte]

When i was in the army band, we had an exchange and met a professional Spanish army clarinetist who uses mid tongue. And he sounded still fine. I dont really know how he does it.. 😅

[@callyclarinet]

Mid-tonguing can actually sound pretty good if you work at it, lol. I think many more of us do it than we realize...

[@zathrasnotzathras9435]

This is the toughest thing for me to get back after 25 years away. I always feel and sound like my tongue is 100 pounds. I have a month to work on it before I start playing with a band again.

[@sfxjura8834]

Had to delete previous comment where I said anchor tonguing is the right thing to do. I always thought that the tonguing I am doing is called anchor tonguing. Im from Europe, we dont use these terms here. But what I am doing/teaching is something close to what you described as "mid" tonguing. I guess its easy to mix the two since the tip of the tongue touches lower teeth/lip in both techniques. I am clarinetist but also teach saxophone. Tonguing is the same on both. So, for me contact happens slightly behind the tip of the tongue, 1/4 to 1/2 an inch maybe (depends on each persons tongue). Tongue is in its natural position, you just open your mouth and when you put in the mouthpiece, the tip of the reed comes exactly on the part of the tongue it needs to touch. Tip of the tongue gently touches lower lip. On youtube there are several saxophonists that show it that way (Jay Metcalf from Bettersax channel and Scott Paddock). There is also interesting PDF file about tonguing that can be found on internet by clarinetist Edward Palanker. Also, clarinetist Rosemary Lang, who wrote the book "Short cuts to virtuoso technique" nicely illustrated and described tonguing on clarinet. She says "Keep tongue arched with tip pointing toward inside of lower teeth. To tongue, touch edge of reed with top surface of tongue about 1/4 inch back from tip of tongue." I also read on the internet that Karl Leister and Mitchell Lurie anchor tongue but do they really anchor tongue or do what is described above I am not sure. Nevertheless, to teach exclusively tip to tip tonguing is very much wrong in my opinion. In my almost 20 years of teaching, this tonguing that me and others above described has been proven best technique and not just because it works for me.

[@callyclarinet]

Ahhhh your comment now makes much more sense! Some mid-tonguing can actually sound pretty good (as demonstrated in the video haha), but too far can sound muddy. The top of the tip of the tongue (taste buds) should never touch the lower teeth or lip.

[@sjz1925]

10:00 Please refer to feline at lower right of screen for proper tongue techniques. 👅

[@callyclarinet]

[@geraldooliveira8303]

❤❤❤

[@jimis3167]

Does B40 Lyre work with V12 3.5 despite chart mentioning up to number 3?

[@callyclarinet]

Yes, it works with V12 3.5+ too!

[@emjay2045]

When I use a b40 lyre , I have use a 3 and clip the tip with a eeed cutter to make them work. 3,5 3,5+ just done work for me

[@freshbeans]

lol I tongued with my throat for like a year. I think I did that for longer than I have tongued with my tongue

[@aspenx1304]

Hey Cally, Can I join the FB group?

[@callyclarinet]

Done! Sometimes I don't see the notifications, so thank you for letting me know

[@edoardodibenedetto2926]

What's the brand of your clarinet?

[@callyclarinet]

Yamaha CSVR-ASP

[@brittlanders351]

Question: I’ve watched videos on tip of the tongue, but why do I still sound like your “roof of the mouth” demonstration?

[@callyclarinet]

You might just be putting too much pressure on the reed when you tongue. It's not easy (at least not for me!)... I have spent many hours trying to get my tongue pressure to be as light as possible

[@sherryreid6163]

Does it tickle your tongue when tonging properly

[@sherryreid6163]

Tonguing

[@callyclarinet]

I don’t notice so much but I think it could if you’re not used to it

[@colorlywhite7655]

you are full of rnergy and it help us

[@eileennguyen842]

My favorite tonguing tip (for beginners): Touch your tongue to the reed, but then take it OFF so that the reed can vibrate! If you don't you will have a very bad fuzzy sound. ...oh, you mean only Little Eileen needed this tip? Carry on...

[@callyclarinet]

You're not the only one! I just had a new young student tell me that was how she learned to "tongue" in her band class! It was actually because of your story that I was able to identify that as her issue with tonguing, so thanks for that :-) She was very happy to no longer have a fuzzy sound!

[@daviddow556]

karl leister did mid tongueing

[@callyclarinet]

Neat!

[@jonasomland2336]

*Tonguing :))

[@callyclarinet]

Hahahaha, oops, thank you!!!