I recently found out that I have been tongueing wrong while playing the clarinet. I have been playing now for 5 years and it`s disappointing to find out that I`ve been doing it wrong for so long. I don`t play with the tip of my tongue on the tip of the reed. Since I`m not tongueing correctly, I play heavy and it`s hard to tongue fast passages. Can anyone give me a tip on how to fix the problem? I know it`s hard to change once you`ve been doing something for so long but I have to break this habit!

how do you tongue?

I have a thing you could try to see if you`re tounging wrong. I was told about this in music camp last year. Take an OLD or DEFECTIVE reed (because it will be ruined after what you do), and line the very tip of the reed with a NON-TOXIC marker (please, we don`t want any of you poisoned here!). Then, for one time only, place the mouthpiece in your mouth and tounge ONE note (you don`t even have to play with air, just tounge once.) If you tounge multiple times accidently, you will get poor results. Then find a mirror somewhere and stick out your tounge. The black (or whatever color you used) mark should be on the very tip of your tounge. If it`s farther back on your tounge, or if it`s not there at all, you know that you don`t use the tip of your tounge and the tip of your reed.

If my directions are confusing to you, or you don`t understand your results, my e-mail is listed (click on my name!). And I`m open for questions. Hope this helps.

your not alone.. cept my problem`s not with tonguing..
i`ve been putting my lower lip to in.. and i`m put my teeth on the top of it (idk if ur sposed to do this) .
i`ve been playing for 3 years. I just got a new mouthpiece and don`t wanna ruin the mouthpiece w/ teeth marks so theres this lil sticky plastic,clear thingie that i stick on the back of it.. where my teeth go.. gaw.. whenever i finally take it off.. there are SO many teeth marks on there..in stead of my clarniet..

anyways, we can help eachother, lol.. i guess just try playing like we should.. and then by the time band camp comes (13 days for me) it might be fixed, lol.

You don`t usually tongue with exactly the tip of your tongue on the tip of the reed- usually slightly back from the tip of your tongue on slightly down from the tip of the reed.
I was having fairly severe tonguing problems, and my teacher said to play scales fairly slowly and exaggarate the normal tonguing by concentrating on playing with the TIP of the tongue on the VERY TIP of the reed. It helps enormously.

Clari,

Don`t worry about having played for 5 years, and then changing your tounging. My first year as undergraduate at a major world conservatory, I changed my tounging, and I experimented with lots of different "strokes" all through college. even now, at a major summer festival in my mid 20`s, I discover that I can make subtle changes in technique that will help me play better. It`s always like that. Don`t worry. The advice the others gave are excellent tips. Go for it!

Hey...you are not the only one whose got the tongueing problem. Me too. Played for almost 4 years and still can`t change it since last year when i got a tutor.

I`m brand new to the Clarinet. Bought a Bundy Selmer on eBay for $43 thinking this is something that I want to record along with my ukulele, I know it`s gonna take years to get good.

So I gotta tongue this thing?

Can somebody tell me how to determine the key/pitch of my Clarinet? I`ve heard that most are Bb, but fingering charts show an open Clarinet (no keys down, no holes covered) plays a G. I checked it with a tuner. When I blow mine open, I get an E. So either I`m not playing this thing right, or I have an odd-ball horn. The local music store seemed to be quite confused about this, but they were willing to bet me $100 it`s a Bb... and not to mention sign me up for lessons. Should I take the bet? I just bought a box of 10 of Vandoren Bb reeds thinking this thing is a Bb, but I`m still not sure.

Also, what`s this soaking the reeds thing? Is that just for initial moisture?

This reply is a bit off topic, but most clarinets are transposing instruments. You most likely have a Soprano Bb (B flat). When you finger a `C` on a Bb clarinet you hear a Bb, which is two intervals below the actual concert pitch of C. The note you finger is not what you hear. I suggest you check out a book on music theory. Also, stop by a musical instrument store and pick up a copy of the Clarinet Tipbook, which is full of useful information on the clarinet.

Vandoren reeds are great, don`t ever buy Rico. The Bb clarinet plays notes that are not concert pitch (a piano is a concert pitch instrument). You have to transpose. In order to play a concert pitch Bb, you play a C. A concert G is F.

the whole tounging thing is so overrated... basically... you`ve got know the rules before you can break them right? so, with that in mind, talk to people, find out what they do and then play the way that you feel comfortable playing and/or that sounds best. i play practically any woodwind instrument you hand me (don`t take that the wrong way though... i`m only any good at clari... i play the rest in passing acquaintence) and the thats the best advice i`ve ever been given (and that was by a brass teacher...) you should see the way i play clari... everyone tells me it`s wierd but i still play clari better than anyone at my school... yes that does include the teacher...

and just to get in before any of the skeptics that i know will read this, i`m not boasting, it`s a statment of the facts