Clarinet Articulation: Getting it Right from the Beginning by Dr. J. Kirk-Doyle

CLARINET ARTICULATION: GETTING IT RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING

by Dr. Julianne Kirk-Doyle

https://www.dansr.com/vandoren/resources/clarinet-articulation-getting-it-right-from-the-beginning-1?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=vandoren_wave_master&utm_content=Clarinet+Articulation+%7C+Talking+to+Parents+as+a+Band+Director+%7C+Summer+Projects+

Before addressing articulation, we as teachers must be certain students have solid fundamentals of embouchure, air support and tongue position. It is important to understand how the reed works and why it is important use the tongue to articulate.

One of many problems encountered with young students is "huffing" which is not using the tongue to create the separation. This is diagnosed if you see neck, cheek or throat puffing on every articulation. The player is stopping the air to create the separation  rather than interrupting the air with the tongue. Remember: Air is always constant.

If a student has jaw or lip motion on every articulation, they are most likely anchor tonguing. Anchor tonguing occurs when the tip of the tongue is anchored behind the lower teeth and the articulation is created with the middle of the tongue touching the reed. Ideally,  the tip of the tongue touches just below the tip of the reed to interrupt the vibrations of the reed.

The reed vibrates in a “diving board” motion against the tip of the  mouthpiece. Insert a business card between the mouthpiece and reed to see how far down the reed the “diving board” goes. This  shows students how much mouthpiece should be in their mouth when playing.

Embouchure stability is the most crucial element for achieving successful articulation. To set the embouchure, have students pronounce “Ewe” as if they sucked on a lemon! Do the same exercise again while looking into a mirror. (Using a mirror is incredibly helpful) Next have the student feel this sensation by using only the barrel, mouthpiece and reed. Close the end of the barrel with the hand, form the “ewe” embouchure, and suck the air out of the mouthpiece as if they were drinking a milkshake. This helps them see and feel the lips seal around the mouthpiece and creates a flat chin – essential elements of a good embouchure. Have them observe this in the mirror, then remove the hand and blow (creating an F# pitch) while maintaining the shape of the embouchure.D

Using the Tongue to Articulate

The clarinet is played with a high tongue position. The tongue should be parallel to the roof of the mouth, arched and high. Use the syllable “Shhhh" to get the tongue in the right place. A great illustration is that of a garden hose. If you have a plant at the end of your driveway and your garden hose will not reach it, how do you get the water to the plant? If you put your thumb over the end of the hose, only a few drops might reach the plant. But, if you angle the garden hose up the allowing the water to arc up and over into the plant, it gets watered. The position of the tongue for clarinet articulation is very similar. The tongue is high inside the mouth, the air comes up and over the tongue and down into the mouthpiece. Only a small amount of tongue motion at the very tip of the tongue is required rather than the entire tongue moving. This allows a quicker and more effortless articulation speed. 

Air is another essential fundamental for good articulation. The tongue interrupts the flow of air, but the air never stops to create separation. Have students put their hand on their lower abdomen and breathe in through their belly. As they exhale, have them hiss "Tsssssss" and note that when expelling the air with this syllable, they will keep the belly extended rather than let it collapse in. This is how their abdomen should remain while playing whether they are sustaining or articulating.

Syllables should be used to create the desired quality of separation. Syllables such as “toh” while ideal for a brass player, are not desirable for clarinet. Any syllable that lowers the tongue position will cause embouchure movement and create unfocused tone quality and unclear articulation. Syllables such as “tee” or “dee” will keep the tongue high in the mouth and maintain the embouchure shape. Have students practice the breathing exercise (mentioned above) while speaking different rhythms on “tee” or “dee.” Use a mirror for reinforcement of the “Milkshake face” embouchure with no excessive neck or jaw movement.

These syllables should be practiced on just the mouthpiece and barrel assembly. Barrel and mouthpiece practice will allow the student not to worry about the resistance of the entire instrument. When the student can comfortably articulate with a constant air stream and efficient embouchure without jaw or huffing motion, add the upper joint, then the lower joint, and finally the bell, to build the air column.

For more advanced students who want to create a “secco” or stopped staccato, add a “t” to the end of the syllables creating “deet” or “teet.” Envision a glass bottle filled with soda. If you  shake the bottle, what happens to the soda? It fizzes! The soda is pressurized so that if you open the soda after being shaken, the fizz would explode everywhere. Imagine poking a hole in the top of the bottle cap with a needle, then there would be a thin stream of “fizz” coming out the bottle cap. If the hole is then covered, the fizz would continue to pressurize, but would stop temporarily until the finger is released. For stopped staccato the fizz is the air and the finger is the tongue. Our air should pressurize behind the tongue so that the articulation is a “release” rather than an “attack.” This will minimize tongue pressure on the reed and allow for a much cleaner and crisper form of articulation. Try this with the breathing exercise discussed earlier. Use the tip of the tongue to stop the air first, and then release the tongue, allowing the air to flow out immediately however the air never truly stops.

A simple approach to this is to have the student do the following:

• Stick out their tongue
• Release, tongue back on reed, etc.
• Place the tip of the tongue just below the tip of the reed
• Put the mouthpiece in the mouth without taking the tongue off,
• Form the embouchure, inhale through the corners, blow (no sound)
• Release the tongue.
• Put the tongue back on the reed (keep the air moving)

Always listen to the quality of sound when articulating. If the sound seems flabby or spread, the tongue placement or air support are lacking. The student could also be using too much tongue surface or pressure on the reed. Equipment should also be evaluated as to proper reed strength. A reed that is too soft will not lend a desirable quality of articulation. and a reed that is too hard will sound stuffy. For successful articulation, be sure the embouchure is stable, the air column is constant, the sound is supported and the tongue position is high.

Tamborine Technique

For text and videos click link below
https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/2019/01/07/tambourine-101/

Unfortunately, in the depths of preparing for a contest and various pieces, some of the auxiliary percussion gets pushed to the side. This places a mentality in the students that those instruments do not hold the same standard of playing or respect as we command from a trumpet or saxophone. This article is to help the director teach the detailed and imperative techniques in order for their students to successfully perform on the tambourine.

Playing Position

• Always stand with feet shoulder width apart. Let this be the non-negotiable standard for all percussion performance.
• Shoulders should remain relaxed.
• Holding the tambourine with the non-dominant hand will allow the player to execute all rhythms using their dominant hand. No need to switch for any type of playing.
• Fingers should wrap the rim and the thumb should be resting on top the head. The palm should be free from touching the rim.
• The hand executing rhythms should form the “birds beak” and will be played on the rim directly above the jingles for a quicker response.

Begin with both arms down to your side with your non-dominant hand holding the tambourine. Bending at the elbows bring the tambourine up to chest height. The dominant hand should set at about “chin height”. The tambourine should be set about 30 degrees above horizontal. The angle in which the tambourine is set will determine the amount of resonance from the jingles. The flatter the tambourine sets, the faster the decay of the jingles.

Playing Techniques

Indeed, the approach to holding and playing the tambourine simply depends on the dynamics and tempo of the rhythms you are playing. Based on the music given, you must decide the approach to take.

• Slow and Soft
• Slow and Loud
• Fast and Soft
• Fast and Loud

Slow and Soft

You can control the amount of sustain from the head by resting the bottom of your hand on the head while playing. For soft passages, you can also eliminate fingers used to play while still keeping your thumb behind the finger for support.

 

Slow and Loud

When the music calls for louder dynamics but still at a moderate tempo. For fortissimo and sforzando, you would need to “change your beating implement.” A fist in the center of the head will create the appropriate sound for louder dynamics as if “knocking on a door”. While striking the tambourine you will also use a rebound stroke for maximum resonance from the jingles and head.

 

Fast and Soft

You will need a chair or some stool to bring your knee closer to your playing position. Turn the
tambourine upside down so that the head is dampened against your knee. You will use your
fingers set directly above the jingles for quicker response (much like we always play directly
above the snare bed for the best response). For lesser dynamics, you can eliminate fingers for
softer playing.

 

Fast and Loud

My favorite! Much like the implementing the fist for louder dynamics for the slow and loud
passages, we can also keep the tambourine resting on the knee and use two fists “knocking”
on the head. Lastly is the “fist/knee” technique. This is when we play fast passages while
striking the tambourine alternating between the fist and knee. The tambourine will mostly be
played with the knee but as sixteenth notes are added, the fist will play the “e’s” and the “ah’s”.

Shake Rolls

Every roll on every percussion instrument contains three parts. It starts with an attack, then sustain, and ends with a release. The most common roll on tambourine is performed with wrist rotation. Hold the tambourine vertically for the most resonance and sustain. Begin with rotating the wrist in then out on quarter notes. Once a full and consistence sound is established, gradually increase the tempo until a smooth roll is achieved. For the attack and release simply strike the tambourine according to the dynamic written, then release the same way. Placing the entire hand flat on the head will dampen any sustain if the music calls for a quick release. It is important to begin the shake roll with an attack and not the shake to prevent a sloppy jingle attack.

 

Types of Tambourines

Size:

• 10″ are the most common. Smaller sizes are also available.

Jingles:

• Bronze – darker sound
• Copper – medium sound
• Silver – brighter sound
• Mix – combinations of different timbres

Rows of Jingles:

• Single – dryer sound
• Double – richer lush sound (most common)
• Stacked vs. Staggered – Staggered rows of jingles will increase jingle response when playing directly above the rim.
  

Piccolo tips by Dr. Diane Boyd Schultz

https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/2018/11/22/piccolo-faqs/

Do I play the piccolo like I do the flute?
Piccolo problems and solutions The piccolo embouchure needs to be firmer than the flute embouchure (remember, you are playing an octave higher than on the flute), but if the embouchure is too tight the sound will not be pleasant. If you use the “smile” embouchure where the lips are pulled upward and tightly against the lips, you will definitely make a buzzing sound on the higher pitches. By keeping the lips and corners forward, the lip opening very small and round, the throat relaxed, and the air stream constant, you will achieve a good tone–although it will take time to train the muscles of your embouchure. Avoid covering too much of the embouchure hole, pressing the headjoint too hard against the face, or closing the teeth since each of those leads to a thin, pinched tone. The headjoint needs to be slightly higher on the bottom lip when playing piccolo.

 Why do I have such trouble playing some notes in tune? The answer lies in acoustical principles. The flute has a cylindrical body, and the conical bore piccolo tapers slightly to the end, thereby accounting for the differences between the two. Listening well and working assiduously with a tuner will assist you in learning and correcting the tendencies of your particular instrument. While flute fingerings will work on the piccolo, there are many fingerings better suited to the piccolo. Seemingly “alternate fingerings,” these fingerings should almost be considered “principal fingerings” because they ensure good intonation, smooth finger changes, a beautiful sound that blends well, clean attacks, and reliable soft playing.

Do I have to practice piccolo since it is so similar to the flute? 
Some basic techniques are similar, but it is best to think of the piccolo as a separate instrument. In order to be proficient on the instrument, you must produce a good tone throughout, play well in tune, learn alternate fingerings, develop flexibility, and articulate cleanly. These skills cannot be achieved by practicing flute alone. Instead, you should continue your flute practice and add piccolo practice to the end of the session when you are warmed up. Over time you will be able to play for longer periods of time without fatigue or tension. Since the piccolo sounds an octave higher than written, it is helpful to play in octaves with a flutist to build confidence while playing the piccolo.

Dr. Diane Boyd Schultz is Professor of Flute at the University of Alabama, Flutist of the Capstone Wind Quintet, and Principal Flutist of the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra. She has performed and presented at festivals in Russia, the UK, and throughout the United States, including the British Flute Society, the National Flute Association, Interlochen Arts Camp, Midwest Clinic, and Texas Music Educators Association. She was a Rotary International Foundation Scholar to McGill University in Montréal Canada and holds graduate degrees from the University of North Texas.