A Clarinet Secretabout
- MichdleGingros
RoPid Tbnguing
In mid-April 2004, ScarecrowPresswill releasemy new book
- 52 PerformanceStrategies theAduanced
entitled: Clarinet Secrets
for
Clarinetistwith foreword by Dr. Robert Spring. The book is written
for the advancedclarinettistin needofspecificstrategiesto overcome
recurringtechnicaland musicalchallenges.It containsconceptsthat
havebeenrepeatedlyand successfully
usedwith studentsovera period
of20 yearsofteaching.Eachstrategyis explainedon two facingpages
with accompanyinggraphics,photos,and musicalexamples(all found
on the accompanying
CD).
In order to tackle each problem immediately, each strategy,or
"Secret,"is describedin a concisemanner.Topicsincludedin the book
are:rapid tonguing,cleantonguing,intonation, naturalfingermotion,
rapid technique,sight-reading,tonal concepts,musicianship,reeds
and equipment, avant-gardetechniques,circular breathing,klezmer,
technology,and careerplanning. Compared to other writings, the
'W'hy
order of presentationmight seemsurprising.
start off with
tonguing in chapter 1, when other relevantissuessuch as tone and
techniqueareundoubtedlyof utmost importance?The answerdefines
the coreof the work.
The advanced clarinettist who is eager to improve right away
often hits a wall on challenging techniques such as tonguing,
especially rapid tonguing. For this reason, I chose to tackle the
most challenging concepts right away. Intonation is discussed
immediately after tonguing because it is often the most neglected
aspect of clarinetistry. Clarinettists get used to their instrumentk
tendency to play sharp in the clarion register, therefore losing some
sensitivity for accurate pitch.
Chapter 3 discusses many aspects of fingering, memorization,
and practice techniques; Chapter 4 describesvarious tone strategies;
Chapter 5 offers ideas on musicianship; Chapter 6 includes
recommendations regarding reeds and equipment; Chapter 7
discussesextended techniques, non-traditional repertoire, technology, and concludes with a career-planning exercise.The 52 Serets
may be divided into weekly sessions,totalling 52 weeksin the year.
Scarecrow Press has graciously agreed to print Secret 1 in
Australian Clarinet and Saxophone. The book is available for preorder at: http://www.scarecrowpress.com (type "Clarinet Secrets"
in the "Search Box').
ChapterI - TonguingStrategies
Secret1 - The Rochet-SpeedTbngaingExercise
'\Touldnt
it be splendid if our tongue
could bounce effortlessly on and offthe
reed at rocket speed?
Thke a long, well-sharpened wooden
pencil and hold it near the eraserbetween
your thumb and index finger. Drop the
pencil lead once against a hard surface
(keeping your hand a few inches above),
and notice how it bounces rapidly after
the initial impact. The first impact is
the loudest; the following "hits" are
rebounds. The fingers are not actually
controlling the pencil except for the
first motion, much like a stick hitting a
snare drum to start a roll.
Imitate this motion by tonguing
repeated notes as follows: Play open g
as two rapid sixteenths; the first note
should be accented quite noticeably,
while the second should be much softer,
echoing the first.
The first note is accented and the
20
repeatednote reboundsfrom the first
(think "TA-da,"or "TA-la"). Continue
by playing three notes (think "TA-dada," or "TA-la-la"). Follow with four
notes: "TA-da-da-da,"or "TA-la-la-1a."
Continue with five, six, then seven
notes,and so on. Make surethat the
numberof notesgraduallyincreases
one
at a time. Play:
After five or six notes, it becomes
confusing to count them. Play open
g, holding the clarinet with the right
hand, and count the notes with your
left fingers until you have played 10
or 12 notes. Remember to accent only
the first note, following with effortless
soft notes, decreasingthe dynamic to
virtually nothing.
As you become more agile and
c o m f o r t a b l e w i t h t h i s e x e r c i s e .v o u
will notice that the tongue will actually
start moving by itself (somewhat
uncontrollably), and literally "shake" in
a very rapid staccato.Imagine a strong
wind blowing through a fag and how
Australian
ClarinetandSaxophone
the fabric emits a staccato-like noise.
Use your air stream to stimulate the
tongue to do the very same thing as
the fag. In time, you will notice the
speed at which your tongue will start
to bounce naturally and effortlessly.
Carefully monitor your ideal airflow
speed and the position and firmness
of your tongue for the rapid motion to
start happening by itself.
Practicethe exercise,playing repeated
notes in all registers. Experiment with
various dynamics, always strongly
accenting the first note more than
any other. Continue the exercise by
attempting to change notes instead of
repeating them, playing basic ascending
and descending scales.Later, practice
passagesacrossvarious registers,making
sure all notes sound evenly.
If the tongue movements become
stifi think of the soft rebound notes as
a rapidly repeating "th" sound, as in the
word "thee," instead of "dd' or "1a."
This technique will soon be of
tremendous help in performing
challenging orchestral excerpts such as
the Scherzo from A Midsummer Night'!s
Dream by Mendelssohn, 7he Bartered
Bride by Smetana, and the Allegro ftom
the SymphonyNa 4 by Beethoven.
The author welcomes feedback and
comments.
- MichdleGngrosis Professor
of Music,Miomi
University,
Oxford,Ohio(USA)45 05 5.
emoil:[email protected]
http:| | www.fno.mu
ohio.edu
lfacultyIgingramI