December 1997

Before Meri

This will be my last in the series about meris. The subject of last month's column was "after meri", so the subject of this one will be "before meri". I've given lots of tips about how to play meris well since they are so difficult, but there is one such technique I've intentionally skipped. I haven't covered it because it is actually a bad habit to be avoided. However, I sometimes encounter people who have discovered it on their own, often unconsciously.

The practice I'm talking about is tonguing before a meri, or, instead of tonguing, stopping the air flow with your lips briefly, then playing the meri along with a brief plosive sound. For instance, there is a very challenging phrase in the beginning of Shika-no-Tone which includes the sequence Re / Tsu-meri. Sometimes you can hear an extra burst of air before this Re, which is a sign that the player is using this technique. However, tonguing doesn't fit with honkyoku, especially as a crutch. Your breath should not stop even for an instant between this Re and Tsu-meri.

Are you tonguing before your meris? You could be without even realizing it. Try recording yourself, or ask someone to listen to you. This habit is very hard to fix, especially because most don't even realize they are doing it.

Tonguing causes a break in the flow of air and thus the sound. Use the technique when it is necessary to express something you want to express, but not as a crutch.