Clarinet solo - Beethoven's Fourth Symphony

Clarinet excerpt from the final movement of Beethoven's 4th Symphony. The tempo is quarter = 160. Not many people can single tongue at this speed. However, the "dolce" marking makes double tonguing, which tends to be percussive, difficult as well.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Beethoven
• fourth
• symphony
• clarinet
• solo

[pierresparkler]

definitely a compliment! How do you double-tongue though? I do it by saying doo-dle-doo-dle etc. but my tongue doesn't touch the reed. But I wanna learn it so that it does touch the reed, so it's easier to swap between single and double-tonguing. Anyway, thanks for the video.

[TexasClarinet]

I say "tu ku tu ku" - the tip of my tongue touches the reed, then the middle of my tongue touches the roof of the mouth.

[pierresparkler]

so are you single tonguing or double tonguing?

[TexasClarinet]

Above 150, my single tongue gets real mushy on this solo. This clip is a sample of my double tonguing.

But thanks for asking! If you perform an excerpt, and the listener can tell you're double tonguing, then your double still needs work.  I'll take your question as a compliment!

[TexasClarinet]

Yeah, the third beat is a bit sloppy. Right now I've got a bug I'm trying to get over (five days and counting, grr), but when I'm better, I'll post a cleaner account. I intend to record all the fast tonguing excerpts in the standard rep - Beethoven Symphonies 1 and 6 are also in the pipeline. Also planned - Bizet Symphony in C, Galanta Dances, Brahms Hungarian Dance #1, and a few others.

[28880]

holy crap!! that was fast!

[stinkbuttt]

Did Beethoven write a lot of double tonguing for the woodwind sections? thanks!

[pkerlover]

im taking clarinet for music but i am a man of guitar shredding

[deafussy]

The basson part also has written "dolce". Make THAT dolce is probably the hardest part.

[nycdavid68]

Its very hard to not rush and get the grace note in so that it comes in clearly. Almost there Young Jedi. : )