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Re: Tounging

Author: Jarmo Hyvakko
Date: 2024-03-12 15:33

Hi! My name is Jarmo and i use anchor tongue.

Still i have only a little amount of lower lip in my mouth. I am not making a lump of meat under the reed combining the tongue with lower lip. And i am perfectly capable of producing a very centered and bright sound if needed.

My tongue just is there, relaxed more or less straight and when i touch reed, a spot around 1 cm behind tip of tongue touches the tip of the reed. And the tip of the tongue just happens to touch the lower lip.

This way i have an unlimited selection of adjusting the quality of the attack by variating the strength of beat, the hardness of my tongue and width of the area touching the reed by slight adjustments in the muscular tension of my tongue (the same muscles you use when you speak, so you know how to use them!)

My speed limit is around 144, on a sunny day even 152 (Prokofjeff's classical symphony!)

When teaching i have felt that students having speed and quality issues in articulation often after inspection and third degree interrogation are found to articulate tip to tip.

I have managed to earn my living as a principal clarinet since 1985. So, let's agree that there are just different articulating techniques? (Such as articulating through your lower lip, believe or not!)

Jarmo Hyvakko, Principal Clarinet, Tampere Philharmonic, Finland

Post Edited (2024-03-12 15:35)

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