There are three basic types of tonguing- single, double, and triple. Single tonguing is the one used most often, for slow and medium speed tonguing. It is also the type of tonguing learned first. Double tonguing is used to increase tonguing speed in very fast music. The trick is to alternate a T and a K syllable (a front syllable and a back syllable) to increase tonguing speed. Triple tonguing is used in passages of fast tongued triplets. The pattern is T K T, or front-back-front.
Why Double Tongue?
Double tonguing can increase your tonguing speed and clarity dramatically. This is because instead of repetatively tonguing in the front of the mouth, the tongue alternates a front and a back syllable. Although double tonguing seems much harder at first, it can be a big help when playing fast tongued passages. Double tonguing reminds me of riding a bike- at first it's a pain in the neck and you want to give up but once it clicks, you have the skill for a lifetime.
Syllables
There are a ton of different syllables you can use when tonguing. Most flutists have certain syllables that work better for their mouth shapes than others. Here is a list of as many tonguing syllables as I could think of with an (almost unbaised) evaluation of each:
Single Tonguing Syllables
~ TAH- traditional syllable, tongue touches the middle of the front of the mouth. A harder syllable, works especially well for accented notes.
~ TI- a little lighter style than TAH, tongue touches a little higher in the mouth. Good for light, dancelike style.
~ TU/TOO- tongue touches a little lower in the mouth than TAH, this one is harder for me to use.
~ DAH- traditional syllable, "D" syllables have a smoother attack and work well for legato styles. Tongue touches in the middle of the front of the mouth, like TAH.
~ DI- for lighter style with smooth attack. Like TI.
~ DU/DOO- tongue touches lower in the mouth, like TU.
Double Tonguing Syllables
~ TAH KAH- very hard, accented style. Medium ammount of tongue movement between syllables.
~ TI KI- lighter style. Of all the syllables, TI and KI are closest to each other- less tongue movement means you can tongue faster and longer before getting tired.
~TU KU- not as hard of an attack as TAH KAH but not as light as TI KI. Of the all the syllables, this one requires the most tongue movement.
~DAH GAH- a smoother, lighter version of TAH KAH.
~ DI GI- a legato version of TI KI. Again, less tongue movement makes this one easier to do.
~DU GU/DOO GOO- legato version of TU KU. Not as much tongue movement required, but this one still takes a lot of energy.
Triple Tonguing Syllables
~ These are the same as the double tonguing syllables- just double the first syllable at the end of the group. For example, if you use TI KI to double tongue, you will use TI KI TI to triple tongue. All of the comments about the syllables and their styles will still apply.
Tips for Learning to Double and Triple Tongue
1) Pick a tonguing style that works well for you before learning to double and triple tongue. It's not fun to learn to tongue using one set of syllables and then have to re-learn with different syllables later on.
2) Practice tonguing with out your flute. Pick a time during the day when you're really bored to practice your tonguing syllables. For example, I practiced them every day when I was taking a shower. Also, it's better to practice them when other people can't hear you- you could get some really wierd looks from people who aren't musicians.
3) Start slow. If you have a metronome, you can use it to gradually increase the speed as you practice tonguing.
4) Make up some tonguing studies. Practice things like scales where each note gets four sixteenth notes or slow songs where each note is subdivided into eighth notes. This can make practicing more interesting. Also, take breaks. If you spend a lot of time practicing tonguing all at once, your tongue will start to get really tired.
5) Sometimes, tonguing isn't the problem. If your tongue and fingers don't line up when you're playing, it might be that your fingers are rushing. Try sluring the section to isolate the finger technique, then adding the tonguing on top.
Good luck!
