Tonguing Clarinet - The Articulation Solution You've Been Looking for!

[@jamesigo6324]

Interesting concepts about cleaning up articulation juxtaposed with tonguing

[@kentreuber8026]

On saxophone, I’ve been using the voicing “flu” to start my tone. The F sound is for starting air, the LU is for retracting the tongue and the shape of the mouth.

[@stevenmelnyk1174]

As an adult learner returning to the clarinet, this session has been great. Too bad that you don't have more sessions on helping us returning adults reacquiring the lost skills.

[@clarinetninja]

Hi Steven:) thanks for watching. I am glad you thought it was helpful. I think there are a few on my channel that may prove very useful to you. The overtone videos, if not right this second then soon, will be useful. The play one note videos should be good too. But…. I want to make a video tomorrow and I need a topic. What might you like to know? I will make a video about it

[@clarinetninja]

Hi Steve I was here responding to a recent comment and saw this from a year ago. I wanted to let you know that I have started (as of yesterday) something I am calling the Clarinet NInja Dojo. I am starting very small to get things built properly before I put it out in the wider world. Let me know if you are still working on the clarinet and are looking for something to instruct and inspire :) [e-mail]

[@trimschonson5221]

Thank you for another great and informative video!

[@clarinetninja]

Hi Trim! Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching! I am glad it was worth your time :)

[@Aubry10]

Thanks!

[@clarinetninja]

Your generosity warms my heart. Thank you very much. It means the world to me! :)

[@wkuclarinetsaxophonestudio3648]

Excellent video, Jay. Super job!

[@clarinetninja]

Thanks John! And thank you for watching

[@amberwookie9002]

Thanks for the video - it is very helpful. Just at the moment I'm facing articulation challenges. I am a beginner and because I learned with the "wrong" articulation I have now problems doing clean attacks on (not even particualary) fast notes. I realised I'm not only touching the reed with my tongue but also go tongue to palate and completely blocking the air flow between the notes. It's hard for me to just touch the reed (like you show in the exercises around 14:30) because I seem not to have the fine motor control in the tongue to do just that - it feels like i would need support somewhere - like an artists need support for the hand (with a stick or something) that is controlling the paint brush while doing fine details. ;-) But I try and it happens what you said, that I loose my overall tongue shape too much, and now my overall tone looses quality. But I hope it will get better with your exercises. I also have an "palate only" attack which works surprisingly well on the throat tones and lower clarion register. Any use for that or should I get rid off it :D Actually like most other people, I guess, I am after an articulation that will ultimately work over all parts of the clarinet equally well.

[@clarinetninja]

Hi Amber, Thanks for watching and commenting! It can be challenging in the beginning if one's natural instinct pulls an ineffective direction. The first exposure to this stuff can set us up for success (or not) and there is no way to really act intentionally in the beginning of our journey. If you play your mouthpiece alone, do you get a high c (sounding) (high D on the clarinet)? If you can find your way to that note, the first step is to articulate from wherever your tongue is when you do that. Don't even think too much about it. This may take a day, a week, or a month....I am still checking in on exactly this same thing. This idea is a foundational thing for me. Thinking about exactly where your tongue is touching the reed can be left for another day. Let me know how it goes!

[@amberwookie9002]

@@clarinetninja Thank you for your answer. When I play my mouthpiece alone, with my normal tongue position (which I normally get the best tone) I get a B (concert sounding). But I can quite easily (however it feels unfamiliar) bring it to a C with my tongue (it's quite cool how much your tongue affects the pitch with the mouthpiece alone - much more than with the resonator on). Why is it important that the pitch becomes a C ? Nevertheless I will try this exercise as you are suggested - it is quite that what you did around 11:00 right?

[@clarinetninja]

@@amberwookie9002 playing a c on the mouthpiece, in my opinion, puts one in a place to produce a sound that will be possible to be focused and make the clarinet sound “in tune” meaning that the clarinet will function as it is designed to operate. B is pretty good but even that little bit up to a C will yield benefit of you can get it to feel comfortable. From there - my take is that cleanliness comes with fast air and a full stopping of the reed with as light a pressure as possible. Speed comes from the light pressure and as small a tongue motion as possible. Practicing articulation on the mouthpiece alone, maintaining the high C will tell you if you are doing this from your “legato” position and be a wonderful and frustrating way to get information. Sounds like it’s going good!

[@amberwookie9002]

​@@clarinetninja Hi and thx again :-) I've also watched your other video "clarinet overtones and voicing" right now, and I actually play mostly swing and jazz style clarinet - so you said in that video that you can voice lower in that case. So I guess a B might be ok? However would you advice to make this exercise with a C nevertheless? Altough I'm playing mostly swing/jazz style I also am very interested in learning a nice clean attack as you demonstrated, because I think that does have a place in most styles of music.

[@clarinetninja]

@@amberwookie9002 yes! a jazz/swing player would play with a lower pitch on the mouthpiece. I am good friends with a prominent New Orleans Jazz clarinet player who voices incredibly low. That is part of what makes the tone what it is. I think that the pitch on the mouthpiece should be able to be the same when holding a note or articulating...regardless of what note you choose to play. If it moves outside of your control or intention, then that is some feedback to look at.

[@Wagnosouza33]

Parabéns pelos vídeos 👏 muito obrigado

[@bobhellmann2179]

Great lesson

[@clarinetninja]

Thanks!:)

[@janicecunningham4675]

Amazing -- most useful video ever!

[@clarinetninja]

Wow! Thanks:) I am glad it was useful for you

[@blindcanseemusic]

Thanks for this excellent content. I've played clarinet on and off for almost 50 years (amateur) and unfortunatley I never learnt, or probably resisted touching the reed with my tongue. Instead I touch my lower lip with my tongue. It works but will never do fast staccato passages. Your instruction is excellent. I will try to break a long held habit, but my tongue feels like a sledge hammer hitting a tooth pick, it wants to flick over the end of the reed, it sounds all salivary, and Ive already damaged the tip of my current favourite reed. My question is, does tonguing properly affect reed life??

[@clarinetninja]

I think the most important reminder I can give you is that the sound of "tonguing" is the release of the reed by the tongue. At least for me, my natural instinct was to feel that it was the forward motion of the tongue hitting the reed that made the sound. It is really the opposite - the tongue touching the reed is stopping the sound and the release is starting the sound. Play an open G and put your tongue as lightly on the reed as you can. So lightly that you still get a sound (muffled and weird - but still a sound). That is about how hard your tongue should touch the reed. Honestly, I little harder than that, but I have never encountered a person that has had a problem adding a little more when we start using the tongue in scales, etudes, and pieces. As far as actually damaging the reed - I have never heard of that....until now. Be careful out there! I think the conceptual adjustment of pulling the tongue away from the reed (and we are talking a millimeter of pulling away) will go a long way to reduce the temptation to use too much force with your tongue.

[@simonob007]

I am having a real struggle with articulating altissimo f# and g. I have no problem at all playing a g major (3 octaves) legato but when articulating the f# does not want to speak. I have been trying all kinds of things but have hit a brick wall. Any suggestions?

[@clarinetninja]

I can tell you what it is for me… A light tongue is required in the altissimo. This means the right spot on the reed has to be used. The right spot - it will be possible to stop the reed with a light touch. How to find this? Do the exercise with the tongue touching the reed (bit the reed still vibrates) all the way up to that register. You will be able to find the spot/touch/ voicing that is required. The margin of “error” is smaller in the altissimo. Remember we also have to articulate from where we naturally (and successfully) voice that note. I kinda just said what the video said. :( I wish I had something more. I am sure if you tolerate the frustration you will find where/how a comfortable articulation is possible up there:)

[@simonob007]

@@clarinetninja thanks so much for the reply. I suspect you are right, I have been going at it a little like 'a bull in a China shop' due to frustration. I will work on my getting my tongue to articulate more gently and as you say look for that 'sweet spot'. I'll let you know how I get on 🙂

[@clarinetninja]

@@simonob007 I would love to hear how it’s going. If I had a nickel for every time I felt extreme frustration with the clarinet….

[@alvaroesquerdo2009]

Hello, excellent video and excellent exercises. I am a clarinet teacher and your videos give me excellent ideas for my classes. As for my playing, there's only one thing that drives me crazy: Sometimes when I'm playing a long piece of music with a lot of articulations in all registers I can't stop the saliva from getting between the reed and the mouthpiece. I fix it as soon as I can but often there is no time to fix it while you are playing and the sound of saliva in the mouthpiece is very annoying. Any idea of ​​the cause or reason for this and how to fix it? Thanks in advance

[@clarinetninja]

Hi Alvaro! I am struggling to find something to say that I feel confident about. Here are some of my experiences with this topic. I don't know if any of them will be helpful to you. Are you playing a legere (0r other synthetic reed)? When I played Legere's, which I did for over a year, I had a lot more water in my tone holes - and perhaps on the back of the reed. Are you regularly playing in a chilly room? This would create more of a problem due to the temperature differential. If I sand my reeds to be incredibly smooth on the back, I tend to get more water on the back of my reed. I have never noticed a connection to articulation, or register while articulation. I am sorry I don't have anything better for you! I will continue to ponder it and see if I can come up with something:) Thanks for watching, commenting, and the kind words!

[@alvaroesquerdo2009]

​@@clarinetninja Hi again! I have found a solution for my problem with saliva today!! By experimenting with the reed position I have found that if I place my reed a little higher than normal on the mouthpiece, it's more difficult for saliva to get into it while articulating. obviously the reed works harder but this definitely makes a difference. I have never heard anyone talk about this, although I have heard many clarinetists sound like this from time to time (especially beginners) but I think it is important since this problem can ruin a good performance at any level.

[@clarinetninja]

@@alvaroesquerdo2009 I am glad you found a solution! I have never really thought about it. I was always told to just suck the water off the back of the reed...and it never became a huge issue in my development. I will consider this problem further and outside of my own experience and see what I come up with :)

[@AliasgarVirdiwala]

Sir which company model clarinet do you use & model no plz

[@clarinetninja]

Hello! I am playing a Buffet RC prestige.

[@RonHolleyCasayuran]

I'm having trouble in my articulation. Particularly when im trying to articulate the altissimo register, it kinda sound pale and it won't sound quickly and equally as i play the note longer or they somehow sound undertone or the whizzy and flat. I'm using a v12 2.5 right now

[@clarinetninja]

hi twirls! The clarinet can be quite touchy up in the altissimo. We need to make sure that everything is "just right" and doesn't change as we articulate. It is either voicing/tounge position or air speed (most likely) using a slightly more resistatnt reed may also help

[@radudaud5559]

👍👍👍

[@michielhorikx9863]

'you're never going to play with your tongue on the reed in real life' Oscar Navarro in his 2nd concerto: 'hold my -beer- clarinet'

[@bmcgar]

"No tongue! No tongue!" (Karl Leister teaching how to start a note with just the breath to avoid an "articulation sound".)

[@clarinetninja]

Love it!

[@sashaclarino9022]

👍🎶👍

[@medusa210562]

To add to meaning of the word articulation, it is completely misused in America. You you even have 5 slured notes, in Europe one would ask: how are these 5 notes articulated? They are slured. Or 2 staccato and 2 legate or whatever case may be.

[@Treadstone21-h6i]

Hmm

[@StevenHaggis]

WTAF ARE YOU ON??