|
Edward Taylor, Soliloquy
(m. 78-9)
The tongue ram is a percussive device produced by completely
covering the embouchure hole with the mouth and forcibly sealing it
with the tongue, creating a pizzicato-like sound. Tongue rams are only
effective in the first octave of the flute, and produce a pitch sounding
a major seventh lower than the fingered note. The flute range can thus
be extended to an octave below middle C. The composer will be advised
not to write rapid successions of tongue rams, as the flutist will need
about a third of a second to reset the tongue and air. Interspersing
tongue rams in a very fast passage of regular notes is also not advisable,
as they require just a bit of time to cover the embouchure hole completely.
This passage from Edward Taylor’s Soliloquy
features alternating use of key clicks (with x note heads) and tongue
rams (diamond-shaped note heads, with resultant pitch in parentheses). |
