Flutorials™: Double Tonguing Help

Greetings,

Here is an outline of the video contents:

To improve the tone and evenness of double tonguing, first improve your single tonguing.

TONGUE POSITION AND USE
• Use TOP of TIP of tongue
• Tongue feels parallel to upper lip.
• Tongue is in curved over position.
• Tongue is NOT pointy
• Top of tongue touches back of upper lip
• Tongue off back of upper lip.

To feel the ideal position, try the “Pop” exercise.
• Make a “pop” sound--hollow sound.
• Feel the “pinch” between the top of your tongue and the back of your upper lip.
• Try doing it without any air., then back to tonguing on your flute.

DOUBLE TONGUING
• In double tonguing, when the tongue is too straight it moves back and forth and gets in the airstream, creating airy tone.
• Practice scales: make pop sound first--don’t play. Single tongue up then double tongue down. Then play the same pattern on your flute.
• Try to not feel angles changing as you change syllables
• Try reaching out the tongue when breathing. This opens the throat. [YES! Stick that tongue out when inhaling to get the feeling!]

USING COMBINATION PATTERNS TO IMPROVE DOUBLE TONGUING
1. slur 3, tongue 1: double tongued t--k, then back to double tonguing the scale
2. tongue 1, slur 3; double tongue tk--, then back to double tonguing the scale
3.tykeeyikee, then back to double tongued scale.

Hope you find this useful!
Catherine