Double Tounging! Help!

lhampton · Post by **lhampton** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 1:10 pm

I''m so mad. I''ve been working on my double
tounging for about a year now and it''s not doing what I want it to. I can
only double tounge at about 100 bpm and it''s frustrating me. I do weekly
ettudes focussing on my tounging and nothing seems to work. ughhhhh. I''ve
tried tounging with different syllables such as duh guh duh and none of them
work. I am open to any suggestions. I just need to double tounge for a really
fast piece I have to record in 2 weeks so I need help fast. Thank you so much!
Leanne

embum79 · Post by **embum79** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 2:12 pm

Is it the "K" part that's tripping you up? I
have found that I need to strengthen this part of the double tonguing.. because
we don't use the "K" sound as much, so it's weaker. Practice doing etudes only
using "K". Then try mixing up the T's and K's.. such as.. K-T K-T rather than
T-K T-K. I think of the word "kitty" when I play that way. Your tongue will get
used to using different sounds, and it will make your double-tonguing stronger.
I hope that helps. The more you practice it, the better it will be, and the
faster you will be able to do it. Good luck!!

powayflute01 · Post by **powayflute01** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 5:02 pm

Saying the word "kitty" over and over again is a
helpful technique; that's how I began learning to double-tongue, anyway. YOu
might also bumping up your metronome very slowly as you practice, just a couple
bpm at a time to achieve the tempo you're striving for. Oh, and don't over
practice either because that won't help your tongue (as I discovered from
experience.) You could even make up a small rhythmic pattern and practice
playing it up and down a scale with just "t" then just "k" then "tktk" then
"ktkt" then repeat and speed it up (it's good for warming up, too![:bigsmile:]
) Good luck![:)]

lhampton · Post by **lhampton** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 5:23 pm

thank you so much. Your advice helps a lot. I'm
sorry I haven't been able to apply. Busy with this solo. (Fantasie by Faure) I
have to play it at 132 bpm and I've really only gotten it up to 105 bpm with an
occasional 110 bpm. I really should have it up to 120 bpm to make the finals but
I think I could make it with 115 bpm. Then I have to memorize it. Any tips on
memorizing? I'm just so overwhelmed, I try practicing 4 or 5 hours a day but
it's not helping enough. I've gotten a lot better, but it still needs fine
tuning. I have to turn in a cd by Jan 5. It's very short notice and I'm
running out of time. Any suggestions will be welcome. I'm desperate. Thank so
much for the advice. Leanne

embum79 · Post by **embum79** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 6:29 pm

Oh wow.. memorizing. I had to do a competition
like that in high school and it was sooo stressful. My biggest piece of advice
is to not wait until the day before to start memorizing!! [:)] LOL Okay, I
didn't memorize the WHOLE thing the night before, but most of it. Just take
little sections at a time and see what you can do. You'll probably be surprized
at how much your fingers remember. If you take it piece by piece, and then put
the pieces together, you should be fine. Play in front of your family/friends to
help you get ready. And if you can, bring someone along with you for the actual
competition.. that can really help. Good luck!!!!

MattMom · Post by **MattMom** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:04 pm

Hey guys - there's a lot of great info on
double tounging here. I've been trying to work on it myself, and am having a
problem. Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong, or if I just need to
<gasp> practice more. I can't keep my tone with the "K" sound. It gets very
breathy. I don't have a breathy sound when I play, so I find this frustrating.
Any tips? Thanks.

embum79 · Post by **embum79** » Thu Jan 01, 2004 1:13 pm

I am definitely weaker with the "K" sound too.
The only thing I can recommend is to play etudes with only K. You will build the
muscle or whatever it is that helps you play that sound. I know that is sort of
vague.. but I don't know how else to work on it. It just takes time to get the
K sound right, since it's not something we're used to with flute.

damjan · Post by **damjan** » Thu Jan 01, 2004 3:36 pm

To get the "K" sound, you are using the back
part of the tongue which is weaker than the front ("T"). So, what you esentially
need to do is exercise it to make it stronger (like any other muscle). This
means a lot of practice, and yes, practicing etudes or any other music with only
"K" is a great exercise. If you get tired soon, do not worry cause you are
starting to work this muscle more than it has worked before. It will get strong
with time.

MattMom · Post by **MattMom** » Thu Jan 01, 2004 5:11 pm

Thanks guys. I guess I'd better get to work!
I'll let you know how it's going in a couple of weeks. I don't think this is
going to happen overnight.[;)]

lhampton · Post by **lhampton** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 3:36 pm

Thanks The info on practicing with only the k
sound really helps. I'm beginning to get most of it memorized, it takes a lot
of practice. Thank you for all of your help Leanne

embum79 · Post by **embum79** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 10:10 pm

Glad to hear it's working for you! Good luck
with the memorizing! [:)]

PiccChick · Post by **PiccChick** » Sat Apr 17, 2004 6:25 pm

i'm having trouble too.on "k" is your tongue
sopposed to go back? im not sure if im doing it right!!!![:devil:] [:(]
[:devil:]