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clarinet articulationTRANSCRIPT
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Methods of Teaching Clarinet Articulation
Neil Tafelmeyer, M.M.
NDSU Clarinet Research Project Dr. Douglas Monroe, Coordinator
Articulation is how musicians punctuate musical sentences. It is achieved through various
mediums, (fingers, mallets, bows, tongue and air), and takes a great amount of practice and study to
master. Good articulation is an essential technique that every wind player should have in his skill set. In
music, articulation enables musicians to create complete ideas and to create phrases from a series of
pitches. As a violinist is able to achieve countless styles of articulation with his wrist and bow, so wind
players must accomplish the same variety of articulations with their airstream and tongue. Every clarinet
student will encounter the technique of articulation and tonguing, but the challenge remains: what is
good articulation, and how does one achieve it?
Unfortunately, many students have been the victims of hasty and careless instruction in the art
of tonguing, causing frustration later in the students’ playing. A problem with clarinet articulation (and
any wind instrument) is that articulation is a rather elusive skill to master. Both teacher and student
cannot see what is actually happening inside the mouth. Often, a student using bad habits can achieve
overall good articulation that does not become apparent to the teacher until fast articulated passages
are played.
The concept of articulation is also quite abstract, especially in relation to phrasing and
musicality. Conceptual and technical ideas are sometimes hard for young students to grasp, and
teachers may struggle to find simple words that will elicit the sound and action desired.
Despite these challenges, there are many clarinet performers and teachers who have
successfully devised methods of teaching articulation and are themselves fantastic articulators on their
instrument. The following articulation methods are used by influential performers and pedagogues such
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as Daniel Bonade, Keith Stein, Pete Hadcock, Rudolf Jettel, Charles West, Patricia Carlson, Stanley Hasty,
and David Pino. In most cases, information was acquired through interviews with the players themselves
or from former students. For others, I used their published method books. Although several articulation
methods were researched, I found many commonalities shared between methods. Before examining
each one, I believe it is prudent that I address the articulation methods found to be unanimous.
The first concept to be shared amongst all players is that air is the determining factor in
tonguing, not the tongue itself. Second, the tip of the reed is the only place on the reed that is to come
into contact with the tongue. I hesitate to say the tip of the tongue is the only part of the tongue to
make contact with the reed for reasons discussed later. Third, the air stream is always supported during
tonguing as it is when slurring. Fourth, light, small tongue movements are used. Last, legato tonguing is
preferred. When it comes to anchor tonguing (when the tip of the tongue is “anchored” on the bottom
teeth) there is still some debate. In researching these methods of clarinet articulation, I found it to be
true that teachers who advocate anchor tonguing do so when a student’s tongue is rather large, making
it difficult to use the tip of the tongue. Other teachers, however, believe anchor tonguing is too limiting
and advocate tip-‐to-‐tip articulation (where the tip of the tongue makes contact with the tip of the reed).
One reason for such unanimity in articulation methods is that many clarinet teachers in the
United States today can trace their clarinet ancestry to the great performer and pedagogue Daniel
Bonade. Bonade was responsible for training a generation of players who held top positions in
orchestras and universities throughout the country. Bonade’s method of staccato is perhaps the most
influential method of articulation used in the United States, and it is no wonder that nearly every
method of articulation researched in this article in some way derives from Bonade’s method.
Daniel Bonade
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Bonade’s method of articulation is described in his Clarinetists Compendium (G. LeBlanc). As
mentioned above, his method is widely taught in the United States. In his Compendium, Bonade stated
that he not only successfully taught this method to his clarinet students, but also found success with
flautists, oboists, French horn, and trumpet players.1 Thus, the Bonade method of articulation is
beneficial to all wind players and teachers. D. H. Evans’ article, “Better Clarinet Articulation”
(Instrumentalist Vol. 44 October 1989) also provides a summary of the Bonade method of articulation.
It is important to note that Bonade stressed the importance of practicing his method slowly and
methodically, so as to create muscle memory in the tongue. Bonade advocated tip-‐to-‐tip articulation
where the very tip of the tongue touches the tip of the reed when tonguing. A crucial factor in Bonade’s
staccato method is that the tongue never moves away from the reed tip, it only moves forward just
enough to stop the reed from vibrating, and moves back only to the point where sound is produced. This
process ensures minimal tongue movement and encourages the use of as little tongue as possible. He
also advocated that the tongue should rest near the tip of the reed for minimal movement when
tonguing is next needed.
Another critical element in Bonade’s articulation method is that one should interpret staccato as
an interruption of legato playing.2 This means that there should be no difference in how one blows
through the clarinet when tonguing and when slurring. Therefore, the air stream is supported even
when the tongue is on the reed, an idea foreign to most young students. In staccato passages, the
tongue merely temporarily stops the reed from vibrating while air is still being supported through the
clarinet. In order to learn the correct tongue motion and proper air support, Bonade uses an exercise
where students hold an open G, then stop the sound with the tip of the tongue while still blowing, and
after a rest gently release the tongue. This process should be repeated until the student has mastered
the proper tongue movement. After the movement feels natural, the student should try the same
1Daniel Bonade, The Clarinetists Compendium (Kenosha, WI: G. LeBlanc, 1962), 8. 2Ibid.
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exercise, but with smaller note values and longer rests. When practicing the short staccato, remind the
student that the tongue should always stay lightly on the reed. This type of articulating can be applied to
any speed including legato staccato.
When teaching finger-‐tongue coordination, Bonade used a method of finger preparation, where
the fingers move to the new note while the tongue is still on the reed. Bonade suggests students play a
scale slowly with sixteenth notes on the downbeats separated by rests, then move their fingers to the
next note of the scale after the first note has been tongued.
This process is very tedious and should be practiced slowly. Yet, students who practice this technique
will find that they can articulate fast passages with great ease and fluidity. The finger preparation
method is also used when a staccato note is followed by a slur. The last note of the slur should be
clipped slightly while the fingers move quickly to the staccato note. However, when slurs are played in
succession, there should be no clipped notes or preparation of fingers.3
Stanley Hasty
Information on Hasty’s method of articulation was acquired from an interview with Dr. Bruce
Curlette from Cederville University. Hasty’s method of clarinet articulation was derived from the Bonade
method (he was a student of Bonade). His teaching of clarinet articulation was simple, making us aware
that as teachers, articulation is sometimes unnecessarily overcomplicated. Hasty believed the basic way
to start a note was saying the syllable “tah” using tip-‐to-‐tip articulation. In pianissimo passages,
however, Hasty suggested using a breath attack (ha tah).
3Daniel Bonade, The Clarinetists Compendium (Kenosha, WI: G. LeBlanc, 1962), 10.
etc.
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When beginning a tonal entrance, Hasty stressed that 100 percent of sound should always be
heard at the release of the tongue, always using strong air support. Hasty also recommended using the
corners of the reed tip, and that the back of the tongue should rise in the oral cavity when tonguing
higher in the clarinet. Etudes used to teach articulation include etudes nos. 2, 4, 8, and 16 in the Rose 32
Etudes.
John Mohler as described by Dr. Robert Spring and Patricia Carlson
Dr. Robert Spring is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated articulators in the clarinet world in
both single and multiple tonguing. Patricia Carlson, clarinetist in the Virginia Symphony, is also an
excellent teacher of clarinet articulation. They both share a common lineage, studying with John Mohler
who studied with Bonade. Both Spring and Carlson advocate tip-‐to-‐tip tonguing. Like Mohler, Carlson
and Spring believe articulation is not an “attack,” but rather a release of the tongue. This is an extremely
important approach to tonguing. When hearing teachers say the word “attack,” students too often do
just that, using too much tongue producing a “thud.” Two problems result from this kind of articulation:
first, the tongue moves forward putting too much pressure on the reed, and second, the tongue moves
backward too far away from the reed.
Spring and Carlson teach staccato tonguing in the style of Bonade, keeping the tip of the tongue
always on the tip of the reed. When stopping the tone, there should be a slight “hum” to the sound.
Both teachers have their students practice this tongue motion using the Bonade open G exercise in
repeating patterns. Once the student can achieve correct, minimal tongue motion, then speed and
coordination is attempted. Spring incorporates articulation into a daily warm-‐up routine using the etude
in Langenus Book 3, page 22. He can single tongue this etude at a whopping 240 beats per minute.
Spring makes us aware of the importance of practicing articulation on a daily basis, incorporating it into
a daily warm-‐up. When tonguing in the altissimo register, Spring and Carlson advocate using even less of
the tongue; Carlson also suggests just brushing the corner of the tip.
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Dr. Charles West
Charles West, of Virginia Commonwealth University, uses an articulation method similar to
Spring and Carlson, keeping in the tradition of Bonade. West utilizes a clever saying when teaching
students the proper amount of tongue that should be used. He tells his students to “use only two taste
buds” when touching the tip of the reed. West also has students try tonguing on their fingers so as to
physically see the amount of tongue they are using. Like Spring and Carlson, West advocates partial
stopping of the reed with the tip of the tongue, creating a slight hum. West describes this as a 98%
stoppage, and tells students they should hear a slight echo in the sound.
West uses etude no. 5 from the Demnitz Arpeggio Studies to teach proper articulation and
proper voicing. Students are asked to play this etude with an absolute legato tongue, making sure the air
stream is well supported.
Regarding proper voicing when tonguing, the previous clarinetists interviewed so far describe
the tongue being low, forward, and creating a right angle to the reed. They continue to say that when
tonguing higher in the clarinet, the back of the tongue must arch upward (similar to saying “eeee”). This
helps to eliminate the groan when tonguing in the upper clarion and altissimo registers. Furthermore,
one must also remember to use even less tongue when articulating high passages. This etude helps
students to learn smooth legato tonguing and simultaneously trains the tongue to form the proper
voicing as the music rises in the clarinet’s clarion register. This etude should be played slowly,
establishing correct tongue motion, and then increase over time to the fastest tempo possible.
When teaching voicing in the altissimo, West uses an exercise similar to the Demnitz etude. He
uses a chromatic scale played in slur-‐two-‐tongue-‐two passages. (te yat tah tah). Like the first exercise,
this is to be played legato and the student must use minimal tongue and proper voicing to eliminate a
thud or groan when tonguing. Students should start on chalumeau Bb and rest between registers,
moving up to Bb in the altissimo.
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Peter Hadcock
Peter Hadcock, former clarinetist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra and teacher in the New
England Conservatory, left clarinetists an essential resource, The Working Clarinetist: Master Classes
with Peter Hadcock (Roncorp). In his book, Hadcock outlines his method of articulation. Hadcock is
unique to this discussion because he used anchor tonguing, not tip-‐to-‐tip. Many teachers are hesitant to
teach or to allow their students to anchor tongue. When done incorrectly, anchor tonguing has a
tendency to sound heavy and produce unwanted sounds when starting a note. However, as indicated by
the above interviewed clarinetists, students who have larger tongues generally have more difficulties in
tip-‐to-‐tip tonguing, and can find success in anchor tonguing. Here is what Hadcock says on the matter:
So, what it really amounts to is that there isn’t one ‘correct’ way to tongue. One method works
for one player and the other method works for another. Just be sure to do a lot of careful
research and make a real effort to fix whatever is bothering you about your tonguing before you
make a major decision to switch methods.4
Many students who anchor tongue do so without knowing it, and have never been introduced to tip-‐to-‐
tip tonguing. Yet, I believe Hadcock is correct in saying that with careful research and refinement,
different types of tonguing can be achieved with success if it best fits the needs of the student.
In his book, Hadcock also teaches us that different styles of articulation (soft attack, accent,
legato, etc.) are determined not so much by the tongue, but by the air. This is one of the most
fundamental aspects of articulation. The air stream and what a clarinetist does with it, is the
determining factor in the style of articulation. Many students are under the myth that the tongue is the
4Peter Hadcock, The Working Clarinetist: Master Classes with Peter Hadcock, ed. by Bruce Ronkin, Aline Benoit, and Marshall Burlingame (Cherry Hill, NJ: Roncorp, 1999), 166.
etc.
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most important force in articulation, and seriously neglect the air stream. Hadcock suggests using a
breath attack when entering in soft and loud passages. A breath attack is also suggested when tonguing
fast repeated passages.
To increase tonguing speed, Hadcock has students play “32nd note pickups leading to an eighth
note, followed by an eighth and a dotted-‐eighth rest, etc.”5 As stated above, he recommends using a
breath attack on the first 32nd note of each group (ha tah tah).
If a student is having difficulty with tongue and finger coordination, Hadcock has students first
slur the passage slowly, next at tempo, and then apply the proper articulations.
Rudolf Jettel
Jettel, a student of Polatschek and clarinetist in the Vienna Philharmonic, was a celebrated
virtuoso and composer. In his Clarinet School, Book 2, he outlines exercises for the “virtuous staccato.”
Jettel advocates light tongue movement and, like Spring, believes articulation should be incorporated
into a daily exercise. Jettel has students practice tonguing on a single note in different rhythmic
patterns, similar to that of Hadcock’s, which allow the tongue to articulate repeated notes in increasing
speed; these exercises should be practiced slowly at first. Rests should follow after each pattern. Jettel
states that there should be no reduction in the strength of the 32nd notes. This exercise can also help
students learn proper voicing in addition to speed. If a student is struggling with a particular note, this
exercise played on the respective note can help train the tongue to find the right voicing.
5Peter Hadcock, The Working Clarinetist: Master Classes with Peter Hadcock, ed. by Bruce Ronkin, Aline Benoit, and Marshall Burlingame (Cherry Hill, NJ: Roncorp, 1999), 166.
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Keith Stein and David Pino
Both Stein and Pino, who was a student of Stein, have written excellent books on the clarinet
and aspects of playing the instrument: The Art of Clarinet Playing (Summy-‐Birchard) and The Clarinet
and Clarinet Playing (Dover), respectively. Both are excellent resources for the player and educator.
Stein and Pino indicate that students with longer tongues might be more suited to anchor tonguing.
Both stress that students should approach tonguing as they would when slurring: the air stream must
remain connected and supported throughout. In fact, Stein suggests that before students learn to
tongue, they must first learn to produce a good tone by breath attack and breath release. This is
important because most notes (except fast passages, hard accents, etc.) should be released by the air
stream, not cut off with the tongue. As stated above, breath attacks are also used in many pianissimo
and fast repeating passages. Thus, it makes logical sense that a student first learn to produce a clear,
beautiful tone by breath attack and release. I use the work “attack” when describing a tonal entrance by
breath alone, but it should be noted that both Stein and Pino (and John Mohler) stress that teachers
should not use the word “attack” when teaching tonguing as it can conjure a rather violent tongue
action, which produces a less than desirable result.
Like Bonade, Stein and Pino suggest that the tongue remain forward in the mouth close to the
reed tip, and during faster consecutively tongued passages, the tongue remain on the reed. Stein calls
the partial stoppage of the reed as “slightly denting the moving air stream.”6
Pino has students find the proper part of the tongue to touch the reed by having students play
an open G and then move the tongue forward until the vibrating reed “tickles” the tip of the tongue.
This is an excellent exercise that trains students to use light, minimal tongue movement in addition to
tonguing with the very tip of the tongue. Students should practice going back and forth between the
point where the tongue starts to tickle and regular tone is produced. Loraine Enloe’s article in the
6Keith Stein, The Art of Clarinet Playing (Evenston, IL: Summy-‐Birchard, 1958), 24.
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Instrumentalist, “Woodwind Articulation” (August 2009), provides additional information on the “tickle
technique.”
To help uniformity of attack, Stein suggests students play a repeating dotted-‐eighth-‐sixteenth
note pattern. He stresses that the sixteenth note should have the “same neatness” as the dotted
eighth.7 The pattern should then be reversed. Stein also advocates the Bonade finger preparation
method.
Summary
The above methods of articulation are all excellent approaches to teaching tonguing on the
clarinet, and other wind instruments. As an educator it is always helpful to have as many tricks available
as each student is different and learns differently. Based on the above methods, here are some
suggestions when teaching clarinet articulation:
Tonguing depends entirely on proper breathing. Make sure your students breathe and support
the air column before you introduce tonguing. Prior to tonguing, teach tonal entrances and releases by
breath alone. Remember that tonguing should be approached as one does when slurring. Refrain from
using the word “attack” when teaching tonguing.
Try teaching tip-‐to-‐tip articulation first. If this method proves unbeneficial, perhaps anchor
tonguing may be the best. Remember, the tongue should be low and forward in the mouth. Stress to
students a minimal tongue motion.
Use the “tickle” method to teach students the proper part of the tongue to use. Make sure
students move the tongue away only to the point where sound starts again. Use the Bonade exercises
after the “tickle” method has been introduced. Students should hear a slight “hum” when stopping the
reed from vibrating. When students are having trouble with finger-‐tongue coordination, have them slur
7Keith Stein, The Art of Clarinet Playing (Evenston, IL: Summy-‐Birchard, 1958), 27.
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the passage first then tongue, and use the Bonade finger preparation exercises. When tonguing higher
in the clarinet, have students voice “eee” so that the back of the tongue rises in the oral cavity.
Teaching clarinet articulation does not have to be difficult and overcomplicated, nor should it be
oversimplified. With good resources and exercises, teachers can have students successfully articulating
with accuracy and musicality.
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Bibliography
Bonade, Daniel. The Clarinetist’s Compendium. Kenosha, WI: G. LeBlanc, 1962.
Carlson, Patricia. Interviewed by author. Phone recording., March 12, 2011.
Curlette, Bruce Dr. Interviewed by author. Phone recording., March 26, 2011.
Enloe, Loraine. “Woodwind Articulation.” Instrumentalist 64, no. 1 (Aug. 2009): 51-‐3.
Evans, D.H. “Better Clarinet Articulation.” Instrumentalist 44, no. 3 (Oct. 1989): 38-‐40.
Hadcock, Peter. The Working Clarinetist: Master Classes with Peter Hadcock. Edited by Bruce Ronkin, Aline Benoit, and Marshall Burlingame. Cherry Hill, NJ: Roncorp, 1999. Jettel, Rudolf. School for Clarinet: From the Elements to Perfection in 3 Volumes. Volume II. Vienna: Verlog Doblinger, 1950. Pino, David . The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing. New York: Dover, 1998. Spring, Robert Dr. Interviewed by author. Phone recording., March 24, 2011. Stein, Keith. The Art of Clarinet Playing. Evenston, IL: Summy-‐Birchard, 1958. West, Charles Dr. Interviewed by author. Phone recording., March 11, 2011.