A respected member of the C&F board recently suggested that I study glottal stops. Now, I recognise that glottal stops are a traditional part of ITM, but I have never made a study of them.
Yes, apparently expert instruction exists beyond the active membership of this board, but, frankly, I would rather learn glottal stop technique right here, from all of you, please.
OK, so, how are glottal stops done?
Say ‘Cup,’ now leave out the ‘p.’
That’s it. Seems clumsy and slow at first but
it gets to be expressive and gives more
control than tonguing, which goes by
very quickly.
I’d leave out the c too.
While a workable method of articulation, what Jim describes is just the back half of double tonguing.
Stopping air flow with the glottis is a different thing. It’s the thing you do in your throat when you say ‘uh-oh’.
Did you ever watch ‘Woody the Woodpecker’? Try emulating that inane laugh (the Elmer Fudd laugh is a suitable option). Then try imitating it as silently as possible. Now try that with your jaw and lips in playing posture. The sound you want to hear is hollow, kind of dull sounding pop as your glottis clenches and immediately releases.
I’ll add a disclaimer of YMMV.
-Aaron
If you were a Scotsman saying the “glottal” you say it like “glot l” - the space is a echl sound. That’s a glottal, glo el, coughing the “el”, articulation. Work on it. It is really a good articulation.
“I loathe and detest the traditional ITM, glottal stop technique. Yes, this is blasphemy here, on the C&F FF, but an open throat is a key technique to flute playing, and the glottal stop, even worse than humming, simply is detrimental to good flute technique.”
um…what is it you need to learn?
You got the quote right, but apparently you don’t know how to read.
mistaken once again, cork.
Your description says much, thank you.
The t-k technique is done in the mouth, but apparently the glottal stop is done in the upper throat.
Basically, that calls for a serious study, for closing the throat runs across the grain, so to speak, but, as promised, I will give it a fair try.
In some ways to me a glottal feels almost like a light cough.
When you get used to it, it’s actually not a bad way to articulate.
I’ve started using them some when playing Baroque pieces on silver flute…I can actually glottal almost as fast as I can double-tongue, and I like the softer, less bright articulation for this music quite a lot. Makes the silver flute actually sound a lot more “wooden” and less bright and metallic.
Back on the ITM side, you can combine a little heavier glottal with a strong breath pulse to really punch a note out from its fellows…very cool for reels like the Glass of Beer, for instance, or Fintan McManus’s.
–James
I’m afraid I don’t remember the Woody the W laugh, nor
the Elmer Fudd laugh. So I’m not sure I’ve got this idea.
Is it the difference tween a G and a C?
God and Cup? G comes from deeper in the throat.
I’d better look up some anatomy.
As with tonguing, you must learn control. Tonguing done properly does not introduce a TUH or DUH sound any more than glottal stops introduce a CUH sound. The idea is to momentarily stop the flow of air, whilst almost simultaneously giving the next note a pushoff without creating a sound other than the note to be played. The advantage to glottal stops in ITM is that the emphasis differs in a way that gives a tune a certain punch that tonguing does not provide. It also tends to sound less staccato.
in phonetics, a momentary check on the airstream caused by closing the glottis (the space between the vocal cords) and thereby stopping the vibration of the vocal cords. Upon release, there is a slight choke, or coughlike explosive sound. The glottal stop is not a separate phoneme (or distinctive sound) in English, though it is one of the allophones of the t phoneme in some…
Encylopedia Brit
Wow, how one would use this in place of tonguing seems
to me mysterious rt now.
Uh-uh. (That’s a glottal stop sound, two actually.)
This will take some doing.
Cup works well, FWIW.
Is it the difference tween a G and a C?
God and Cup? G comes from deeper in the throat.
No, teh difference there is that in G is voiced (the vocal chords are vibrating), but C is not.
Every consonant has a place of articulation- where your tongue, or wahtever else, does somethign to define your breath and/or larynx vibration. T and D are alveolar bnecuse they take place at the alveolus, P and B are labial becuase they take place at the lips, K and G are velar beuase they take place at the velum, etc. A glottal stop takes place at the glottis, or larynx- the vocal chords. You dont’ use the tongue tho, of course. Just “pop” your glottis instead of vibrating it. It’s very simple, and everyond not only can do but does it on a regular basis; but it’s hard to explain.
Nothing to do with C’s, K’s, or G’s will produce a glottal stop, which happens further down. This is not a matter for debate; no amount of practice (or repetitious argument) will turn a consonant sound formed in the mouth into a glottal stop.
Now, when this topic came up with one of my students, I suggested that he rent the film “Dune.” You may want to check this out for yourself: watch what happens when Paul Atreides and his mother are accosted by the Fremen after escaping from the sand-worm (stick with me here). Stilgar, leader of the Fremen, says something like “I will take the boy-man; he shall have sanctuary in my tribe.” He also makes a little coughing sound - a lovely glottal stop, all on its own! You laugh, but my student managed to get the concept this way. Whatever it takes…
Rob
Thanks. I’m sure I can do this. I once learned how
to wiggle my ears, after all. The only problem I had
on that score was that I couldn’t stop.
i find the glottal stop is easier with an open throat. the glottal stop of uh-oh has the throat very narrow. open your throat as if at the doctor and say “ahhh” then cough without moving your tongue at all. it is the same movement as with uh-oh with your glottis, but the uh-oh openess will make the note crack, whereas the doctor one wont!
if that makes any sense.
EDIT:
actually, the doctor’s “ahh” with a cough is still not open enough for my liking, but its a step in the right direction.
Like I said in the thread which begot this one, it’s the anatomy of glottal stop that matters. The epiglottis is what you want relaxed and open to maximize air flow. The glottis is lower than that and that’s what you contract and release to articulate a note.
bend over, put a peanut between your buttcheeks, and cough while humming '“the battle hymn of the republic”. don’t let go of the peanut. this practice will help open the throat so that the classical flautist may get in touch with their glottis. drop the peanut, it must be eaten. this is by far the best method. never fails.