Tonguing Technique....


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Posted by Anthony Labelle on April 05, 2001 at 22:45:10:

I've been having some problems lately with tonguing issues, and was hoping to get some input from the BBS. Under the guidance of a very prominent teacher, I was taught how to articulate with the tongue, but without using any sort of syllable... the result is a much clearer articulation, with less "noise" at the begining of the notes. This worked fine for me until I started working on more complicated literature. The problem is that I can't double tongue. My single tonguing is definitely above par, but won't cut it in some of the literature I'm currently working on(Concerto del Garda, for example).

I've read through the archives, and have read more than I can digest on tonguing, but so far, all that I have read on the subject seems to have been written by people who come from the "other school" re: tonguing. Using the "tu ku tu ku tu ku" method, I can double tongue about half as fast as I can single tongue... the problem is that I need to be able to tongue quite a bit faster. So, my dillema is:

1) do I "re-learn" how to tongue? Start using syllables in my articulations, and build up from scratch?

2) is working on accelerating my single-tonguing technique all I can do to improve, without changing my articulation fundamentals?

or (ideally)3) can someone explain a double tonguing technique that doesn't involve the use of syllables? I've heard this explained by my former teacher, but at the time, I was still working on how to single-tongue.

Any former Bill Bell students out there that can give some input? I assume this tonguing method originated with Bill Bell, as both of my former teachers who taught the "no-syllable" tonguing method(the only teachers of mine who taught it that way) were both former students of Bill Bell. Thanks in advance for input or advice.


Anthony


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