Telephone 01698 290525 or 0775 468 4911
E mail campbell@quantity.freeserve.co.uk
Tongue
Tongue with the soft, upper part of the tongue which is a little bit further
in the mouth than the tip of the tongue is. Do not strike the reed hard with
the tip of the tongue, which, itself, might be hard and tensed. Use a
relaxed tongue.
Practice by beginning with a long tone. Then merely bring the tongue up to
the reed just enough to muffle the sound and bring the tongue back to let
the sound come out noturally. Do this very slowly and do it daily for many
days. Gradually do it so you are playing half notes in time, then quarter
notes, etc.
There are types of tongueing which are percussive and short but for you at
the moment I think it's best to think, not of playing separate tongued
notes, but rather of one long tone slightly interrupted by the tongue
(stopping the sound). Keep the air flowing throughout the tongued phrase, do
not stop and start the air.
BTW, what kind of teacher and colleagues do you have thath can't simply
demonstrate for you how to do it properly? also, i would recommend getting a
private teacher.
