Handel - Arrival of Queen Sheba (Question)

[xyo1337]

Hello

This is my first post in this forum so I hope I've got it in the right section! I've recently started to pick up double tonguing (finally) and have encountered a problem with the titled piece of music! I'm having trouble at the end of bar twelve. I seem to have great difficulty in playing from D back to the Eb as sixteenth notes. I've tried using the D trill key while playing C however when I'm required to play the Eb from the D trill it requires fidgety and uncomfortable fingering. I've also tried playing C -> D normally and using the trill key before the final D but my brain doesn't seem to like doing this and prefers to either use the trill key or switch between C->D normally which doesn't work (I find) when playing sixteenths double tonguing?

So I've probably drawn that explanation out far more than necessary but hopefully you see where I'm coming from! I'm doing this piece to practice my double tonguing which seems to be helping but it's just this section which repeats a few times in this piece! Any constructive advice is welcomed. It may just be that I need to work on co-ordinating my fingering and my tonguing but I really feel I need clarity on which fingering is best, as the trill key doesn't seem completely efficient.

http://www.flutetunes.com/tunes.php?id=170 (The music in question [See end of bar 12])

Kind regards


Alex

[pied_piper]

For some, playing sixteenth notes at a brisk tempo while double tonguing can present coordination issues as you described. However, at this point in developing your playing skills, I would suggest NOT using trill fingerings or alternate fingerings at this time. There are times when trill fingerings are appropriate, but you are looking for a short cut when you should be concentrating on developing and improving your technique. Instead, use a slow tempo and practice those passages using the normal fingering while double tonguing. Use a metronome to keep a steady tempo and practice playing those difficult spots as slow as needed to play it cleanly while double tonguing. When you can play it cleanly 5 times in a row, then move the metronome tempo up one notch faster and practice it until you can play it cleanly 5 times. Repeat this process until you can play the passage at or even faster than the indicated tempo. After a while, you'll find that you can play those measures without a struggle. It might take a few days, a few weeks, or even months. It really depends upon the individual. Some are able to progress faster than others. The main thing is to take the time to learn to do it correctly. Then, when you encounter even more difficult music, you will be better prepared to know when to use the trill/alternate fingerings for something other than trills.