Articulation - Part II
Ya gotta practice
Learning double
and triple tonguing is one of the trickier skills to learn at first. For one, your tongue
gets really tired really fast. It starts feeling thick and hard to move. Your beautiful
tone is shot to heck and the two different syllables (T and K) sound uneven. Yuck!
The good news is anyone can learn to double and triple tongue. The bad news is there is no getting around having to practice. It will only get better if you work at it every day. No need to overdo it, just practice until your tongue gets tired and then do something else on the flute.
What vowel sound are you using?
Most books I've seen describe double and triple tonguing as "tuh-kuh" or "too-koo". It is very difficult to do this with any real speed. The problem is that the vowel sound of "u" or "o" puts your tongue too low in your mouth. Try using "ti-ki" or "tee-kee" instead. Your tongue will be much closer to the roof of your mouth (Since you say the T and K in the roof of your mouth, your tongue doesn't have to travel so far). This is less tiring and it will be much easier to do this quickly. A big secret of double and triple tonguing is to be efficient. The less you move your tongue the clearer your tone, the less tired you will get and the more distinct the T and K will be.
Double and triple tonguing are like legato blowing
Unlike single tonguing
which often requires good separation for staccato, double and triple tonguing are more
like legato playing. While double and triple tonguing it is important to blow with a
strong and steady airstream. A good way to practice is by playing legato scales and then
double tongue them with the same strong airstream as legato.
Practicing double and triple tonguing
