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Hey guys. One of the weakest parts of my playing is single tonguing, specifically, the speed of it. Whenever I try to speed up the metronome, many of the habits that I try to have often fall apart. My success in this area often comes and goes in cycles, which makes it that much more frustrating. I guess I'm asking:
a. what's the best way to build up strength?
b. what exercises can be used to speed it up that best allow one to maintain their good habits?
c. what are realistic goals in terms of the rate of improvement?

Any advice?

Christian

What my professor has us do at Fullerton is to play the Arbans double tonguing exercises single tongued with a metronome. Do them as a daily tongue warm up, and it will steadily get better.

Going in cycles of speed limitations points towards tensions being built, when working too hard.

Do clean tonguing without instrument and mouthpiece. Don’t set the speed higher than the tonguing still stays even in tempo.

Add mouthpiece and train even tonguing at increasing metronome speeds.

Do the same with mouthpiece and instrument.

Klaus

Let's look at a few things. Strength, when as bulk muscle, actually limits flexibility and works against speed. Look at the difference between the builds of a body builder and a long distance swimmer. Both have muscles, but one allows for more flexibility. The tongue is one muscle that works amazingly in an incredible number of ways. What we want it to do is really a pretty simple thing as related to the attack.

Too many people think about "bringing the tongue up - then pulling the tongue down" - so the one muscle is working isometrically against itself. This leads to a quick tiring of the muscle and limits endurance.

I prefer to think of the process as "pick the tongue up, then just relax it and let the air blow it out of the way". This way the tongue is only "working" in one direction - picking the tongue up. If the air is where it belongs, at the front of the oral cavity, then this should work very easily. If the air is being stored further back in the pulmonary system then it will be very difficult.

If you are hearing a tiny puff of air at the beginning of each attacked note, then the air is too far back in the system and not right behind the tongue where it belongs. There are simple exercises to correct this if that is the case. Blowing THROUGH the attack is what makes it simpler. Often I hear younger players double tonguing, and I hear more of the flopping around of the tongue than of the notes being attempted. Once you blow through the tongue, thinking "to the bell of the horn", this goes away.

Just my thoughts.

Roger

Occaisionally I wish I had more single tongue speed. My multiple tonguing capacity bails me out most times but I am playing the bass trombone part to "New World" tonight and triple tonguing those Eb's below the staff is a bear. Wish I could single tongue it but I can't. Lightness, minimal movement and keeping the airstream moving seem to be the keys for me for any kind of fast tonguing.

How fast are you trying to single tongue?

Maybe this will get me some negative criticism..BUT

Not everyone CAN single tongue very fast. If fact, there are NOTABLE players who double tongue at relatively un-fast speeds. Not everyone can double tongue very fast. Some players can single tongue VERY fast.

You have to keep working at it, but if you can never consistantly single tongue faster than eight = 120, I wouldn't really worry about it. So long as your double tongue works.

By the way....it's TONGUE not toung.

As far as practicing it.....it's about consistancy at slow tempos and consistancy while increasing tempo. Being careful to use the tongue tip with proper air...rather than slapping the whole flabby tongue around.