CAT TONGUE METHOD-DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TONGUING (STACCATO) ON CLARINET

Cat tongue method by Ilian Iliev Every active musician who is really devoted to his instrument, he dedicate many years improving his playing technique, so the final goal is a high result in his performing. Musician through many years of active work and dedication to his instrument is searching for ways to simplify his way of playing and performing (not to give a big effort during the playing) because the instrument we are playing doesn’t have to cause difficulties during the performance. The idea is that the instrument is a part of us, and the musician during the years of improvement and searching for the new ways of performing, he tries for less effort to get more and better results. First of all, the musician with the instrument in his hands has to be in a natural body position (his body always must be in the same position as with the instrument, and without it). All this that we were previous talking about, actually is the new method called Cat tongue, which the clarinetist Ilian Iliev discovered during his many years of playing and researching. In this method first of all and mainly its about the tongue position and moving during the performance, but to get this part, previously we must to set all functions, first of all, positions of the body, after that position of the instrument in the mouth, than direction course of the air, an at the end the tongue work. As I previously said and Ilian confirmed the same, this method is characterized by the body stillness during the performance, stillness of the respiration and of course stillness of the tongue muscle. This method begins with the proper and natural setting of the instrument in the mouth, pointing the enormous intensity of the air strikes in the current instrument, opening fully the oral cavity in order to properly directing the air in the instrument ... and in the whole process that the tongue sits still and waits for the command and to start the process. Ever since I properly set Air force and we don’t have interruption of the same, the tip or the end of the tongue begins to dab at the top of the reed. ( This means : very top of the tongue at the top of the reed.) The same process, if we are without instrument should comes as the opening of the oral cavity and the larynx, the tongue stays indolently behind, and when we start to blow, the tip of the tongue slowly dab and beat at the internal part of the front teeth ... .like a singing : la la la la la.( when we pronounce ta ta-ta we don’t have completely natural and wanted effect) The most important thing in this entire process is to feel the freedom in the mouth (the oral cavity) and of course, the movement of the tongue as a muscle. The result is properly natural sound, producing very soft, clear and fixed staccato, exactly, the wanted effect was achieved. In short line, completely natural way, which has a large effect on playing and overall calmness (of course as much as it can, because after all we are still active, we are doing something in this case playing clarinet), the Ilian Iliev method called CAT TONGUE, from which, despite the short period of time of its usage, has a very useful and wanted effect on performance. I would like you to present you this method practically( playing), playing scales : more different ways, in different types of tempo, by using double tongue, triple tongue, then slow tempo of performing one tone combined with a series of tones or scale then the same example only in the proper tempo in: Four Seasons-Vivaldi, then double tonguing the chromatic scale also slow tempo and then real tempo in Etude of Chopin , and finally triple tonguing used on larger leaps, not distributed scale, (slow and fast) to one part of the composition : Scherzo and tarantella of Wieniawsky ...! In a whole of this performance I use The Cat Tongue method.