Multiple Tonguing Aids

1. Keep corners firm 2. Focus on melody line, phrasing, (music) 3. Emphasize the vowel (ah or oo) to keep tongue relaxed 4. Keep “T” good – ½ (or 1/3) of the notes are “T’s” 5. Use tip of tongue, keep middle & back relaxed 6. Keep it light 7. Hunt brass class text says coughing for the “k” – BAD mental image! 8. It’s like shifting in a car as you accelerate – the engine slows down but the speed picks up, so the player needs to relax when they switch to multiple tongue 9. Continuous air is required – multiple tonguing is a legato technique for the air 10. More air is required than used for single tonguing 11. “K” in multiple tonguing falls where we usually space between notes in single tonguing 12. Keep notes long - draw an arrow over notes to represent blowing air through the phrase

13. Add crescendo to keep air moving through the notes 14. Wheel of Fortune: air = wheel, tongue = flap - wheel is unaffected by the flap 15. Violin analogy: air is the bow 16. Practice variations: practice the passage slurred, then gradually add the tongue – once per measure, twice per measure, beginning of every beat, slur two tongue two, tongue everything, similar to the following:

17. If the air isn’t working well, alternate slurring the entire phrase with each of the preceding tongue variations for the entire phrase– make sure the air is the same!!! 18. In addition to straight sixteenth notes, practice eighth & two sixteenths and two sixteenths & an eighth; prevents boredom and makes it easier to put in more repetition

19. Convert continuous 16th note passages to these rhythms and then go back to what’s written (Goedicke Concert Etude) 20. Practice at single tongue tempos, gradually accelerate using a metronome 21. Must overlap single and multiple tongue tempos (secret ceremony to learn to conduct at quarter = 121-131 – too fast to single tongue, too slow to double tongue) 22. Alternate single and multiple; single must be great – it’s the role model for the multiple tongue Ray Crisara – multiple tongue only when you have to or else you lose your single tongue speed Lloyd Geisler, first trumpet in the American Symphony – double tongued everything, even whole notes, so he had a GREAT double tongue! Double tongue to play louder – fast single tongue requires that you lighten up, which may not be what’s needed Many suggest “da gah” for fastest speeds – okay, but not sharp and not effective for fanfares or where you need sharp attacks BUT, “TTK” can be too hard if the desired effect is more like a marimba roll, which is often called for in Arban and Herbert L. Clarke solos, so “DDG” might be better ion this context

Multiple tongue on the move (scales, arpeggios, etc.) – another level of difficulty; extreme repetition and patience required Branstine: stay with a single, short pattern before moving on – lets you concentrate on the tonguing, not on which note comes next K in the Middle vs. K at the End Arban theme and variations – better to use TTK to help negotiate jump if the skip is between the first two notes

Stravinsky Firebird – TKT (rest) – hard to stop on a “K”

If the K is in the middle on triple tongue, be sure triplets are played:

K in the middle is best on ascending arpeggios – K is on a lower note

Fanfare tonguing: TKT KTK – fastest “triple” tongue! (because there are never two T’s in a row) – actually, a double tongue with accents to make it triplets

T K T K T K Accent the first K of the second triplet to get the triplet feel and not duple: Tkt Ktk awkward to learn, but gets easier with time