TMEA Clarinet Band Clinic Presentation

February 14, 2020

Dr. David Shea, Professor of Clarinet
Texas Tech University
(david.shea@ttu.edu)

Clarinet Fundamentals Tool Kit ~ Articulation Edition

What is the Tool Kit?

The clarinet fundamentals tool kit is a collection of teaching techniques that have been
developed in the Texas Tech clarinet studio over the past twenty years. These techniques, or
tools, have proven to be highly effective in addressing common problems in clarinet
fundamentals. This session will focus primarily on the problems and challenges of clarinet
articulation.

One of the innovative aspects of these teaching tools is that they use the natural tendencies of
the instrument to draw students into playing with correct fundamentals. With a little practice,
any student can learn how to apply these simple techniques on their own. Teachers can also
use them to quickly address common problems in rehearsal or in a private lesson. With some
creativity, these techniques can be adapted for any musical situation, and as a basis for
improving a student’s tone, articulation and technique.

Why is articulation so difficult to teach?

Why is articulation so difficult to teach? Correct articulation depends on many different

elements working together, and it is not always easy to identify the actual cause of a problem.

During rehearsals or private lessons, students are often told what the teacher wants to hear:
“tongue harder, tongue shorter, clip the slur, tongue with more attack” and so forth. If this is
all instruction that is offered, students will naturally start forcing and manipulating the tongue
to get a desired result, without any thought of how other fundamentals are affected or
involved. This often leads to the development of many bad habits that will affect all aspects of
clarinet playing.

When working on any of clarinet skill, it is helpful to consider any clarinet fundamentals
problem as five problems. Every clarinet skill requires the following components: air,
embouchure, voicing, articulation and fingers. When diagnosing any problem, it is important
to check each of these individual fundamentals in this order. For example, articulation and
finger technique should only be addressed after the student has established proper air support,
embouchure shape and voicing. This is not the standard approach used by most teachers,
which may explain why teaching good clarinet fundamentals, and clarinet articulation in
particular, is so challenging.

Common Problems in Articulation

Most tonguing problems can be reduced to some version of the following:

• “Ha Ha” tonguing (caused by improper use of air and/or air support)

“Ha Ha” tonguing occurs when the air support is compromised between tongue strokes,
resulting in a “Ha Ha” like air flow. Most students have this problem to some degree.
For some, the tongue doesn’t even touch the reed, and if it does, there is not sufficient
air pressure behind the tongue to create a clean and clear articulation stroke. Such an
approach causes significant response, speed and tone quality problems to occur.

• “Chewing” articulation (caused by weak embouchure)

“Chewing” articulation occurs when students have a loose embouchure while tonguing
with too much or improper tongue motion. As a result, one can see jaw movement with
each tonguing stroke resembling a chewing motion. This problem manifests as poorly
defined articulation, squeaking, tonal instability and loss of facility.

• “Taugh Taugh” tonguing (caused by improper voicing)

This tonguing stroke can easily be seen in the throat. It is caused by an excessive motion
of the tongue muscle and low tongue position. Proper articulation voicing requires less
motion and a high tongue position. This can be achieved by saying “dee, dee, dee”.
Many younger and weaker student often tongue with a “taugh, taugh, taugh” motion
with excess tongue tension. If one compares the feel between the two by vocalizing
“dee, dee, dee” and then “taugh, taugh, taugh”, it is easy to see how the tongue voicing
is very different. The result of this tonguing motion and voicing is tonal instability and
lack of precision in the articulation stroke.

These common problems illustrate how fundamentals other than the tongue can contribute to
articulation problems. As one works with this idea, it becomes more and more clear that the
tongue is often not the primary cause of most articulation problems, and that other
fundamentals must be considered to effectively develop good tonguing skills.
Supporting Fundamentals

If other fundamentals are to be incorporated into the development of proper articulation skills,
it is important to have teaching tools to establish proper air, embouchure and voicing. In a
previous clinic given at TMEA (The Clarinet Fundamentals Tool Kit) in 2018, the following simple
teaching techniques (tools) were presented.

Establishing a proper air column

The air flowing through the mouthpiece and instrument should be as fast and free as
possible, without creating excess back pressure and tension in the throat and embouchure.
The pressure at the mouthpiece and embouchure should be comfortable, flexible and
stable.

Fundamentals Tool #1 for establishing a healthy air flow and air column
• A simple way to create good air support and air column is to play a forte low E while
tonguing legato quarter notes.
• The air should flow freely, the jaws should be relaxed and open, and a loud resonant low
E should result. The tone may be a little spread, but that is easily corrected with a slight
adjustment in the embouchure and/or air speed.
• The main goal of this tool is to familiarize the student with removing artificial tension
created in the body that prevents the air from flowing freely and correctly through the
instrument.

Establish a good embouchure

To produce a correct embouchure, the bottom lip rolls over the teeth, and the sides of the
mouth should press forward and into the sides of the mouthpiece. If done properly, the
chin will be flat and pointed downward supporting a proper embouchure shape. A simple
method for teaching this is to have a student say “ooooh” with firm muscles pushing
forward while keeping the bottom lip rolled over the bottom teeth. The legendary
clarinetist Daniel Bonade describe this shape being like a cone. If done correctly, a perfect
embouchure shape will result.

This is preferable to the common “pointed chin and tuck” method which can cause
embouchure muscles to smile backwards, creating a brighter sound with air leak. Even if
this isn’t taught implicitly, most students corners tend to tuck backward, causing excessive
tightness and biting.

Fundamentals Tool #2 for establishing the perfect embouchure

• When trying to find the correct embouchure shape, one should monitor jaw pressure to
avoid biting. Jaw pressure can vary slightly depending on what type of sound one is
trying to produce. However, biting the reed to change a bad and unstable sound to an
acceptable sound should be avoided.
 • A simple method to establish proper lip pressure/shape and jaw pressure can be done
by playing long D’s and Cs (middle of the staff) while tonguing legato quarter notes.
Have a student play four or more D’s followed by four or more C’s. While playing these
notes, have them experiment with adjusting the lips into a rounder shape, slightly more
forward sides while relaxing the jaw slightly. The goal is to establish a comfortable,
flexible round embouchure that produces a full, warm and responsive sound. As the
student experiments with slightly different lip positions, it is easy for them to feel and
hear when they find the perfect embouchure shape.

Establish proper voicing

Unlike most instruments, the clarinet requires an “eee” voicing, or tongue placement, for
the entire range of the instrument. Even in the low register (chalumeau register), the best
characteristic sound is made with a high tongue position.

This high tongue position is necessary to establish a correct and efficient tonguing motion.
Many common tonguing problems experienced by younger and lesser experienced clarinet
students arise from a tongue position that is too low.

Fundamentals Tool #3 for establishing correct tongue placement

• Vocalizing the tongue position is an excellent starting point. It can be established
saying any of these three sounds: “hee, hee, hee”, “shee, shee, shee” or “dee, dee,
dee”
• There are several pitch combinations on the instrument that will draw a student into
establishing a good tongue position. If a student is comfortable in the altissimo
register, they can try slurring back and forth between high E and F. If they don’t
know these notes, perhaps high B and C in the clarion register. When doing these
intervals, it is important that student make adjustments until they produce pitches
that are stable and in tune. With a little practice, they will quickly be able to find the
correct tongue position.
• Method 2 - After checking the embouchure with the long D’s and Cs, have the
student slur back and forth between A just above the staff and E, the top space of
the staff. Try to match tone quality and tone color between the two notes. After
slurring between the intervals, students should articulate between the A and E and
maintain the same voicing and focus.

Establishing proper hand position and finger tension

Although finger tension is not usually the main source of articulation problems, with the
exception of uneven technique, it can definitely affect the other clarinet fundamentals that
are more directly related to articulation problems.

Excess tension in the hands, grabbing the instrument, and forcing the technique all cause
the upper torso to tighten up. This can cause problems in the quality of air flow and create
 excess embouchure tension. Relaxing the fingers and hands often will help improve the
tone quality, often in significant ways.

In general, any tension that works against the free flow of air and tonal response should be
addressed, because it will directly or indirectly contribute to all articulation problems.

Understanding tonguing as a balance of all fundamentals

The basic tonguing stroke and tongue motion required for good articulation skills is not
complicated (See Tip #2). Clarinetists make it complicated by allowing many bad habits to form
over time and not understanding how the misalignment of fundamentals skills contribute to
articulation problems. The following suggestions are intended to provide guidance in the
development of healthy articulation habits for students.

Tip #1 – Tone production is the most important aspect of articulation, not the tongue muscle.

Proper tone production is the foundation for all aspects of playing the clarinet. In any given
piece, every note is either articulated or non-articulated. Every note is created by air, so the
proper use of air speed, embouchure and voicing are essential to both situations. Proper tone
production skills are a constant and cannot be compromised when articulation is introduced in
a passage.

The tongue should adapt to the air and embouchure, not the other way around. One might
understand this in theory, but is this what is actually being emphasized in the classroom or
private lesson? Talking about the tongue muscle and tongue stroke in isolation is often not
addressing the real problem. Not considering air and tone production factors is perhaps the
greatest contributor to poor articulation skills.

Tip #2 – The tongue stroke is very simple

To get the perfect tongue stroke and motion, say “dee dee dee”. It is that simple. Any motion
other than this can lead to incorrect tonguing skills.

For any given passage, one can use vocalization to establish a correct feel for tonguing. Try
having a student sing a passage or at least the rhythm with a “dee” syllable. They should then
play the passage trying to maintain this voicing and tongue motion. Going back and forth a few
times will help students find the correct feel.

Another method is to have the student play the phrase on a single note, long D for example,
and monitor the intended “dee” motion of the tongue. This is the preferred method once a
student has been introduced to “dee” articulation.
Tip #3 – Consider abandoning teaching “tee” articulation

This may seem like a radical notion, but if one takes a moment to analyze the difference
between a “tee” and “dee” articulation stroke, it becomes clear that there are many problems
with a “tee” articulation. Teaching a “tee” articulation often introduces excess tongue tension.

If one truly uses a “tee” articulation, excess tongue tension creates an inability to tongue
quickly and clearly, causes the tongue to become locked up, and causes the embouchure and
air pressure to become out of balance.

To produce a crisper and shorter staccato stroke, students are often instructed to put more
force into the articulation stroke. This seems to help in the moment, but it is often not
addressing the real problem and will likely cause the development of bad articulation habits.

Getting clear and short staccato strokes is not a matter of tongue strength and force, but a
matter of finding a balance between air pressure, embouchure and a more relaxed tongue
tension.

Tip #4 – The “dee” articulation can produce every articulation stroke.

By using a “dee” syllable tonguing stroke with either a soft “dee” or a hard “dee”, one has the
ability to produce every tonguing stroke, from legato to a wedged staccatissimo. If one blows
air correctly through an “oooo” shaped embouchure and tries the different versions of the
“dee” stroke”, clear and defined articulations can be produced for any musical situation.

From the perspective of playing in real time, a hard “dee” stroke actually produces the “tee”
tonguing stroke that is often desired by teachers. “Tee” is the sound we need to make with our
mouth when speaking, but to get the same attack while blowing air through the lips, “dee” will
produce that same attack. It sounds like a “tee” articulation but is done with a flexible and
relaxed tongue muscle.

The most important benefit of the “dee” stroke is that it allows the air and embouchure to stay
in balance, and it allows for more air flow to happen on each note.

Tip #5 – Play all articulated notes as long as possible with a more relaxed tongue.

This statement appears to be implying that all notes should be played long and legato. The
intention of this concept is that any note should be played as long as possible to get the exact
length desired. For example, a staccato note should be played as long as possible to get the
desired staccato length that is appropriate for the style and character of the passage.

When students are told to play a passage more staccato, they are instructed to play a note
shorter. How short should the note be…exactly? Half length, quarter length, sixteenth? If one
thinks about staccato in terms of shortening a note, it is imprecise and easy to shorten a note
too much. For example, half the length of a note and a third of the length of a note may sound
the same to the ear in terms of its duration. But shortening a note too much, will cause the air
flow and embouchure to become significantly compromised, often causing the tongue to lock
up with excess tension. In other words, shortening the length of a note too much doesn’t make
the note sound shorter, but only causes problems with air, embouchure and tongue.

If one conceptualizes articulation from the opposite vantage point, starting with zero length
and playing the note as long as possible to get the exact length desired, this will create better
air flow, keep the embouchure stable and consistent, and the tongue muscle remains flexible.
The articulation can still be staccatissimo, and the stroke can be very quick and short, but if
feels different and the resulting product is far superior.

Instructing a student to play the notes longer with a more relaxed tongue, causes the air to flow
between articulated notes freely and produces a superior articulation.

The traditional method of emphasizing clipping and shortening notes, introduces a contrary
force in the flow of the line, working against the player’s sense of line and forward direction.
This often causes the air to stop and start in an unnatural way. Over clipping and shortening
notes too much does provide an improvement for students in the moment, but this is relative
to what they were doing before. It isn’t really the solution to correct articulation.

Tip #6 – Clear attacks and Clear Staccato

Stop tonguing is a traditional method for teaching clear responsive attacks and staccato. It is
often taught using an aggressive tongue stroke and hard tongue release. Notes are often
played as short as possible to allow fingers to move from one note to the next cleanly.
Although this method can be effective, it can also introduce a lot of excess tension in a
student’s playing that is unnecessary.

Using excessive tongue pressure works because it causes the air pressure to increase prior to
the release of the tongued note. This creates a clean attack and defined staccato. The problem
is that tone is often sacrificed, and the tongue muscle can get locked up. For weaker students,
this excess force will cause jaw movement and loss of proper voicing resulting in major
problems in response and tone quality.

There is an alternative, a “gentle” tongue stop tonguing technique. Using this approach, one
can get the same increase in air pressure needed for a quality attack and release, but it is
caused by increasing the air flow with a relaxed tongue muscle. Over clipping with force causes
the air pressure build up to be created in a negative way which cause obstacles to a free-
flowing air stream and articulation. Using the gentle tongue stop tonguing approach creates
the necessary air pressure to be created in a positive way which keeps the clarinet
fundamentals in perfect balance.
Using this new approach, stopped tongue notes should be played a little longer with an “eeen”
release, not a hard “eet” release. This will allow the air to flow continuously through the
staccato note release into the start of the next note. If done correctly, the “een” ending will
transform into a crisp “dee” attack beginning for the next note. If the release of the stopped
tongue note is too hard, this transition between notes will result in delayed response, unclear
attack or the tongue muscle itself to lock up.

Using this new gentle stopped tongue approach can be learned rather quickly with a little
practice. The result will be that all articulations will be possible and the quality of articulation
skills in general will be vastly improved.

Tip #7- Approach all articulated passages as a linear phrase.

Students often do not experience articulated passages as a flowing line within the context of a
larger phrase. They often see a tongued passage from a mechanical perspective, only focusing
on executing clear articulation and technique. A gesture with staccato dots over the notes is
often seen as a mechanical process of “pecking” the reed with the tongue, hopefully with
precision and speed. This is consistent with a teaching approach of emphasizing the tongue in
isolation from the other fundamentals and separate from phrasing.

If students can be instructed to put the demands of articulation in the context of the flow of a
phrase and think more linearly, it is easier for the tongue to adapt to the environment of free
flowing air and the tonguing stroke will be much improved.

This new approach of air flow, playing the notes as long as possible with a more relaxed tongue
muscle, supports the flow of an articulated line in a musical passage perfectly. Articulation will
be experienced more as creating texture in a line that is flowing forward through time. In
practical terms, emphasizing line will often cause a student to use the gentle stop tongue
approach intuitively resulting in a better articulated phrase.

Conclusion

The suggestions made in this presentation are not intended to contradict traditional methods
for teaching and understanding articulation. They are suggestions that have proven to be
highly effective when tried in hundreds of teaching situations. In most cases they are
refinements, or adjustments, to correct unintended consequences of basic practices that are
common in clarinet pedagogy.

At this point, these tips are tools that can be used by teachers and students. To incorporate
these ideas into a curriculum for beginning, intermediate and advance students is up to the
discretion of each individual teacher. At the very least, it is hoped that this information can
provide a clearer understanding of articulation fundamentals and the different components
that are involved for establishing correct articulation practices.