Council for Research in Music Education

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1 Council for Research in Music Education An Investigation of Two Clarinet Tonguing Techniques by Ronald Herbert Goddard Review by: Norman M. Heim Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, No. 104, Symposium on Research in General Music (Spring, 1990), pp Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Council for Research in Music Education Stable URL: Accessed: 15/09/ :39 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. University of Illinois Press and Council for Research in Music Education are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education.

2 A Review Norman M. Heim Music Department, University of Maryland College Park, Maryland Ronald Herbert Goddard: An Investigation of Two Clarinet Tonguing Techniques DMA, Arizona State University, 1987 University Microfilms Order No Introduction For years clarinet players have had the dilemma of having each new teacher advocate a different tonguing technique, and each teacher usually would be rather dogmatic about the system to use. There was the common belief among teachers that each system would produce a particular unique sound. The greatest problem in the teaching of clarinetonguing has been the inability of the teacher to see inside the mouth of the student while the student is playing; this aspect plagues the teaching of all wind instruments. Often the student cannot tell the teacher what is happening on the inside, because the touch sensation of the tongue varies greatly with each person. Some people have no idea what the tongue is doing when playing the clarinet. In recent years clarinetists have become more analytical and have used many of the research tools that are available through the medical profession, including the use of x-rays. Some of these techniques are not useful, either because of the cost of the equipment or the healt hazard to the player. Other techniques are available. Ronald Goddard's dissertation has disproved some of the myths that have been in the profession for years. The Study Ronald Goddard's study was limited to the two basic tonguing techniques: anchor tonguing and tip-to-tip tonguing. Anchor tonguing was first explained by Thomas in 1978: the tip of the tongue is pressed against either the lower lip or the lower teeth (hence, anchored), allowing only the middle to come in contact with the reed. Thus, anchor tonguing included any contact with the lower lip and/or teeth whether the tongue tip remained in contact or withdrew during the sound. In tip-to-tip tonguing, the tip or near-tip of the tongue touches the tip or near-tip of the reed for articulation. During sustained sounds the tongue tip is suspended in the oral cavity. Definition of the extreme

3 50...Two Clarinet Tonguing Techniques tip of the tongue is difficult during playing because of the tongue's transmutable nature. The object of the study was to determine which tonguing method is superior by noting any differences in tone and articulation sound between the two techniques. Previous general studies of related techniques had been conducted by Redfield, Stauffer, Anfinson, Porter, Parker, and Wheeler. Redfield, in 1934, examined the necks of clarinetists with a stethoscope to study air column behavior and concluded that respiratory system manipulation does influence tone quality. Stauffer established that internal bone structures affect clarinet tone quality. Stauffer also investigated whether the student's ability to tongue depends upon his tongue size, shape, muscular attachmento the jaws, the tongue's sensitivity, nerve supply, blood supply, the condition of the student's mucous membrane, the jaws, and teeth. Goddard's study also explored the possible interaction between dentition (the characteristics of the teeth as determined by form and arrangement) and tonguing technique to determine if dentition diagnosis could be a means for assessing and developing a student's performance potential. The dental conditions considered were occlusion (relationship of the opposing surfaces of the teeth), overbite (relationship of lower incisors to upper incisors), and overjet (horizontal relationship of upper and lower incisors). Subjects were categorized (occlusion, overbite, and overjet) according to Angle's three-class system, three-way pure mean split, and overjet three-way pure mean split. Regarding the dental aspect of the project, expert advice was granted from the School of Dentistry of the University of Manitoba. The vehicle of the study was a group of 82 beginning clarinet students in Grade VII (median age of 12 years) from five Canadian public school instrumental music programs; the project extended over a 10-month period. The students had been assigned at random either the anchor or tip-to-tip tonguing technique. The researcher provided the initial instruction for articulation during the third week to each condition group. He was also responsible for convincing students that both methods were equally good. The technique assigned to each student was checked by an approved dye transference from the lip and reed to the tongue, which indicated the placement of the tongue on the reed and the technique used. The author rejected sonography (ultrasound) as a technique to view internal structures. Although safer than radiation, the ultrasound signal cannot penetrate bone tissue to delineate the tongue. At the end of the semester, he re-used the die procedure and found that 5 of the students originally assigned anchor tonguing had changed to tip-to-tip and 11 students assigned tip-to-tip had switched to anchor. These 16 students were permitted to continue using the new technique and they were instructed and evaluated as members of the "other" technique category. A re-evaluation in the seventh week of the second semester found that the students had made no

4 Goddard 51 further switches, leaving him with 82 using anchor tonguing, 40 tip-to-tip. The breakdown by occlusion had 52 as class 1,17 class 2, and 13 class 3. The data analyzed in the study were from two sources: 1) orthodontic measurement of each student's occlusion, overbite and overjet, and 2) ratings given by the three judges to recorded performances. A four-way analysis of variance was computed to compare conditions: two tonguing methods (anchor and tip-to-tip); occlusion classification (three levels, 1, 2, and 3); overbite (three-way pure median split and overjet); and three-way median split permitting lots of comparisons and observations. The performance data for the experiment resulted from tape recordings of the students playing the same music formulated by Goddard. The music had five parts (one-page total) that started simply and became more difficult; most of the notes were in the low register. The recorded performance was heard by three outstanding professional clarinet performer/teachers. The conditions for recording were similar in each school. The judges were to overlook, to the extent possible, technical errors in pitch, tempo, and rhythm and evaluate only composite tone and articulation quality. A secondary concern was the relationship of articulation to the perception of tone quality. Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations Interaction due to the scores of subjects with low degrees of overbite was found. The median score of subjects assigned to anchor tonguing was high and tip-to-tip scores were low. Those with class 3 occlusion tended to perform better than students with class 1 or 2 occlusion. The anchor tonguing students with class 2 occlusion scored the lowest, permitting the following hypothesis: an anterior mandible position as class 3 occlusion applies (skeletal pattern must be assessed separately for a definitive index of jaw relationship) places the tongue more forward in the oral cavity, so addressing the reed during articulation naturally occurs further back on the tongue's upper surface rather than at the tip. The tongue tip might logically anchor or rest on the lower lip and teeth. The low score of the anchor tonguing students in class 2 occlusion suggests the converse; that is, posterior mandible/tongue position associated with a class 2 occlusion places the tongue tip more comfortably at the tip of the reed. The researcher found low performance scores of subjects with high overjet utilizing the tip-to-tip method. He decided that high overjet encourages greater mouthpiece insertion and then positions the mouthpiece/reed tip further back in the mouth where it is most usually addressed with the top surface of the tongue and further back than the actual tip (as in anchor tonguing). Clarinetists with class 3 occlusion are best suited to anchor tonguing; performers in class 2 are best suited to tip-to-tip. Clarinetists with high degrees of overjet perform less well when tip-to-tip tonguing. Clarinetists

52...Two Clarinet Tonguing Techniques with low degrees of overbite are more successful when anchor tonguing. On the basis of the study, Goddard made the following conclusions: 1.

5 52...Two Clarinet Tonguing Techniques with low degrees of overbite are more successful when anchor tonguing. On the basis of the study, Goddard made the following conclusions: 1. No significant difference in tone and articulation quality was found between the two tonguing techniques. 2. No physical characteristics had any significant influence on tone and articulation quality. 3. Evidence showed some difference in performance quality influenced by method of articulation and proper placement of the tongue. 4. Certain combinations of dental makeup and technique used resulted in some deviation from the norm. 5. Students who switched tonguing technique during the course of the study performed at a slightly higher level at the conclusion. In addition, three pedagogical principles emerged as a result of the study: 1. In the initial period of study, students should be allowed the choice of a tonguing technique based on their own oral physiology. 2. It is best to describe both tonguing techniques to the student and then select the technique that produces the best results. 3. The clarinet instructor needs to develop diagnostic techniques so that a tonguing technique unique to the oral structure of each student can be chosen. The writer makes major suggestions for continued research in the area of tonguing techniques in order to get more definitive results that would widen the base of the study and to follow students to advanced achievement. Critique This study by Goddard was very successful in its methodology. The bibliography of the study was excellent and will serve as a valuable source of information for the readers. The conclusions are rather startling since each clarinetist has thought in the past that there was a difference in sound and quality between different tonguing techniques; however, as the author noted, this study only centered on beginning clarinetists - the jury is still out on a decision involving advanced players. In order to validate the conclusions, furtheresearch needs to be done that would involve more advanced players and extend the study over a much longer period of time. Goddard confined his study to only two systems of tonguing - tip-to-tip and anchor tonguing - without mentioning any other possibilities. There are

6 Goddard 53 many modifications of both of these systems and, perhaps, the other possibilities should have been mentioned. In addition, a reason should have been provided for choosing these two particular systems. The modifications considered might have included the possibility of placing the tongue below the tip of the reed, a system used by many clarinetists. Also, the music used in the student testing might have included a higher range, because the higher tones may have indicated a difference in sound and quality between the two systems of tonguing. Limited information on the dependent variable is provided. In general, this study was conducted very carefully, and even though the study was restricted to only two systems of tonguing, some important information was presented. This study needs to be read by all clarinet teachers with the suggestion that our teaching should be more flexible, fitting the technique or system to the physical characteristics of the student. This study is a good start, but there needs to be much more research to make it more conclusive. Norman M. Heim is Professor in the Music Department at the University of Maryland. His areas of specialization include instrumental music, woodwinds, and (in particular) the clarinet - its pedagogy and literature.

MENC: The National Association for Music Education

MENC: The National Association for Music Education A Cinefluorographic Investigation of Selected Clarinet Playing Techniques Author(s): Roland E. Anfinson Source: Journal of Research in Music Education,