What we flutists need in all situations is a regular double tongue, coordinated with good finger technique. These two topics can be addressed by anyone at any time, and significant progress can be made even through self-study.
Both technical areas first require an inventory through self-testing:
The Tongue
With the tongue and its forms of movement, we have the problem that we cannot see it and should therefore learn to feel it all the better.
Question 1: Where does my tongue touch the palate and/or the upper incisors when I articulate “d”?
Info 1: “d” is important; it must never be “th”! As a neutral starting position, I recommend a position in which the slightly tense tip of the tongue contacts both the teeth and the beginning of the gum (palate base) in order to jump away from there and fall or jump behind the lower incisors. There, the tongue should form a channel in contact with the back wall of the lower incisors, which forms the “slide” for the air into the flute.
Question 2: What kind of g, gk, kg, kh do I actually use for the rear articulation point?
Info 2: A clear and precise “g,” spoken as far forward as possible, should be the starting point for all our efforts. The movement is very small and should not be clearly visible on the neck. Important: As is naturally the case in French, “d” and “g” should be articulated without aspiration and directly connected to the vowel (= tone). The tongue only opens the way for the air; it lets go – it doesn’t push. Unfortunately, the word “tongue stroke” is misleading.
Exercise 1
Say “dö_dö_dö_dö_” (see note at the end of the text). The underscore means that you should play the “ö” as in a slow quarter-note pulse. Now “gö_gö_gö_gö_”. Check that the movements are very small and are only at the front or only at the back. The middle of the tongue should remain still. You can also imagine drinking hot tea; then the tongue goes into a good position for flute playing.
Now increase the tempo:
“dödödödögögögögödödödödögögögögö” etc.
Pay attention to consistency. You can increase the tempo of this exercise without the flute, even with a metronome.
Exercise 2
Form a lip opening and blow fast, cold air onto your palm. Then begin to incorporate articulations, sometimes “d,” sometimes “g.” The air speed must immediately be back up to tempo after each articulation; the interruption by the tongue is almost imperceptible.
Exercise 3
Choose your favorite note on the flute. Hold it out and don’t be satisfied until you like the sound. Then proceed to insert a “d” or “g” into the sustained note from time to time (without rhythm). Your attention must now be focused on ensuring that the tone quality does not deteriorate! If there are noises or changes in sound, check the position of the tongue in the mouth, the articulation points, and the path of the movements again.
Further exercise procedure: First on your favorite note, then on all notes.
Exercise 4
At a slow tempo, for example, in an eighth-note movement, quarter note = 52, play: “dödödödögögögögödödödödögögögögö” etc.
From now on, follow two paths:
- Increase the tempo continuously with exercise 4, and in between, always do exercise 3 to optimize the sound. Practice with the metronome and increase only slowly. If fatigue of the tongue occurs, take a break and reduce the tempo again.
- Change the combination of the syllables: “dödögögödödögögödödögögö” etc. Or “gödögödögödögödö” etc. Or “dögödögödögödögö” etc. Then increase the tempo with exercise B (see below) as well. Of all these exercises, the last one – the actual double tongue – is the least important, because it comes about all by itself from the preliminary exercises!
Now it’s the fingers’ turn!
Logically, both partners – tongue and fingers – must work regularly so that they do not “get mixed up”! You always practice fingers best in legato; only then can you hear small inaccuracies!
Fortunately, we can see and observe the fingers, unlike the tongue, but only in the mirror. Use a wall mirror and observe your fingers; they should stay close above the keys. With the help of the arms and wrists, you “deliver” the fingers to the flute in such a way that they can act freely there. The position and shaping of the hands and fingers is the key to success.
Exercise Procedure
You start from two notes and practice them first in an eighth-note movement, then in a triplet and sixteenth-note movement with a metronome until the movement works completely evenly, for example, also with “fit for the flute” finger technique (UE No. 31291).
Then you expand to three, then four and five notes in order to continue practicing, for example, with Taffanel Gaubert’s “Daily Exercises.”
From now on, you follow two paths again:
- The extension of the tonal range with particularly intensive practice in the 3rd octave and other more difficult finger changes, such as c2 – d2, cis2 – d2, and e – fis.
- Increasing the tempo with small steps and a metronome. Of course, first increase the tempo of the easier connections and patiently build up the difficult ones.
Check that the movements remain as small as possible at fast tempo. The smaller, the faster!
The Combination of Fingers and Tongue
So far, so good. Now we need some exercises for the combination of the two techniques. You take one of your technique books, for example, M.A. Reichert’s “Daily Exercises” (No. 1), and practice in legato until the sound satisfies you. Then you play each note of the exercise eight times with a double tongue, then six times, four times, and twice.
After that, I recommend reducing the tempo a little and playing each note once, that is, playing the entire exercise through “normally” with a double tongue. But again, compare the tone quality with your legato version. There will probably still be notes that can be improved. For this, go back to all the previous exercises!
You can also practice every run in the pieces you are going to play in this way! Rejoice in what you have achieved and stick with it! If you invest 10 minutes every day, you will immediately notice great progress, and that is enjoyable.
Good luck!
This article appeared in the magazine “Bayerische Blasmusik”, issue 9/2013
There is no equivalent in English for the German “ö”. One could describe it as a rounded version of [e] or [ɛ]. The vowels in “bird”, “word” or “sir” are the closest to the vowel “ö.”