Optimal double-tonguing range

[Trevor Bjorklund]

For the general "good amateur"-to-pro tubists, what is your best range for double-tonguing?
How low and how high for effective, clean articulation?
The piece is at dotted quarter = 80 or so and I'm looking for extended double-tonguing on 16th notes (mostly single pitches).
Thanks!

[swillafew]

From the F below the staff, upwards to the Bb above the staff, is an easy range for clean and fast tonguing. Going down, F to the Bb below the staff, is not as easy but should sound good at your tempo. Below Bb it is possible but requires more practice to make it work.

[PaulMaybery]

Good question. Single couplets of 2 notes are much easier to pull of than continued passage of double tonguing. As a composer, and for a reasonably talented adult group, I would not be concerned so much with having those 2 16th notes embedded in a measure of 8ths (in 6/8 time). Depending if you are working with a publisher, they may have "house" spec charts for music in various levels, particularly with music for young players with limited skill sets.
Even with an inexperience band, that is something that could be learned on an "as needed" basis and probably be polished by the next week rehearsal. Swillafew made a good point when he talked about register. Things certainly get more difficult and muddy in the register below the staff.

[happyroman]

Regardless of range, here are a couple of points that should help with multiple tonguing. First, practice single and multiple tonguing at the same tempos so that there are no gaps (i.e., you should be able to single tongue as fast as your slower double tongue tempos). Also, and this is most important, to maintain your best tone, focus on the low vowels (OH, OOH, and AH) to keep the tongue low in the oral cavity and the air stream thick. Articulation should be 5% consonant and 95% vowel. This is especially important in multiple tonguing since the K consonant will tend to raise the back of the tongue and will cut off the air to the embouchure, causing a thin tone.

[Trevor Bjorklund]

Thanks, folks!
Looks like I was pretty close but always best to double check.
My band is going to hate me in any event but at least I'll keep the tuba player happy.

[TheGoyWonder]

If you want to get really serious about double tonguing, go for a dah-gah syllable which uses the back of the tongue. To make the "gah" sound as good as the "dah", you may need to practice "gah" on its own in a dreaded back-of-the-tongue exercise. That was the teaching method when we won DCI brass, anyways. We also reduced the volume to forte on any multiple tonguing, you don't want to try to kill it.

As far as range, I recently had to triple tongue on low G for just an ordinary community band arrangement. It's not hard to do it, just hard to do it and still support a band.