I’ve been playing the recorder for 15 years and never heard a better explanation. It’s clear to understand and seems way more possible to accomplish. I still struggle with triple tonguing so I’ll be trying those tips, thank you!!
It so good to discover all this things! In my country there is no professional recorder teachers, so the only person I can learn it all from is You. You are doing great job!
I just discovered your channel a few days ago. New worlds, they have opened in my mind. You said something about teaching us enough that we don't need you any more, but you know what? I didn't know I needed you in the first place!
And now I realize this could be taken the wrong way. What I meant to say was, since I didn't know I needed you in the first place, how could I possibly know when I don't need you any more?!!!
As someone with some linguistic education, it's always odd when the concept of t versus d for tonguing comes up: technically, the one and only difference between the two is whether the consonant is voiced, that is, whether the vocal cords are vibrating. Obviously, one's vocal cords are not vibrating in either case when tonguing, except by accident or when one is trying to sing through the instrument. Maybe the distinction people are trying to capture with "t versus d" is whether the consonant is aspirated, which means that there is an extra burst or air when the consonant is released. In English, t and d can both be aspirated or unaspirated, but there are consistent rules as to which happens when, which means that English speakers are generally not aware of the difference. That could have something to do with the confused terminology when in comes to tonguing. All of this applies to the k versus g distinction as well.
This is so interesting Alex! My recorder colleagues come from all over the world so we have a lot if conversations about how our languages/accents affect like articulation (we are cool, I know). In this case we use ‘t’ to denote a stronger tongue stroke than the softer, less forceful ‘d’. The aspiration certainly plays a part too (though less in Dutch, where consonants are much less aspirated in general). At the end of the day it’s handy to use t/d and k/g as memory shortcuts for the amount of pressure or attack to use. Nice to have a linguistics perspective though!
Interesting. I don't know whether it is the difference between UK pronunciation and that used elsewhere, but my tongue connects in a different place for a 'd' and for a 't'. I feel confident that if I were to whisper, say, 'do' and 'to', you would hear the difference.
I like this explanation very much. I learned to double tongue from my teacher Ken Wollitz many years ago and he told me that he was so used to double tonguing that he just falls into it naturally as he is playing, without really thinking about it. After I did it for a few years, I found the same thing. The fact is that it is actually EASIER (IMHO) to double tongue on fast passages, once you get the technique down, even if it isn't all that fast. I also find it easier to vary my attack and phrasing with double tonguing. It's just smoother and more fluid, so any differences in phrasing stand out more. I LOVE double tonguing! I am just an intermdediate player, so you absolutely don't have to be anything special to use it! :)
I just used double tonguing for the first time when I arranged a duet of 'Sleigh Ride' to play with my professional oboist daughter. The last iteration of the main melody changes the anacrusis from quavers to semiquavers, all on the same note. I just couldn't get my tongue to move fast enough, so I tried 'k-t-k- / t' Magic: I suddenly acquired a superpower!
You make playing the recorder seem like so much fun thank you. I’m just beginning to play and you have inspired me to try to learn the fingerings for the alto whistle and now this tonguing.I wish I had lots of money because you deserve to really be supported. But I will try to support you a little
I've been playing Tabor pipe (Recorder family, but played with one hand, playing a drum with the other hand) about a year, and this is incredibly useful. I'll be using these techniques. Thanks 🙏
I’ve been playing the recorder for 15 years and never heard a better explanation. It’s clear to understand and seems way more possible to accomplish. I still struggle with triple tonguing so I’ll be trying those tips, thank you!!
Just amazed with the music of recorder can be so beautiful, lively and poetic! Thanks Sarah for the joyful lesson which is so inspiring for a beginner! :)
Thank you for sharing your wonderful knowledge, so many great tips. My cat especially liked this video. She (and I) was amazed at your amazing technique!! 😀
OMG ! I think I've finally got it !! I'm a viola player (well sort of) and I try on the recorder by myself at the moment... Couldn't grasp what the tongue was doing... It's clearer now... I've got to practice though because... well... not quite there yet !! Thanks Sarah !
Another brilliant video! I actually tried double tonguing on my Yamaha alto yesterday before coming to this video-someone mentioned it on a Facebook group and I got curious. Considering I'm fairly new to recorder I found it a lot easier than I was expecting. Its a good technique to practice, with or without an instrument
i knew next to nothing about wood (or brass) even when i learned the piano at school, except that it needed lots of breath control. watching your videos at random is pretty mindblowing
Keeping with Telemann is a great idea. Last week's vid is worth spending more time with than a week (or a year). This vid is immediately making my playing worth listening to. Thank you.
Kees Boeke , Three Exercises , #2 - the 29 first bars - my favourite triple tonguing meditation ! I just use it as a material and create small playful and sometimes quite jazzy exercises. I learned about Boeke´s Three Exercises through your recommendation ! Thanks a lot for your refreshing vids !!
You're right. It takes time to get a good sound. and at first it sounds weird but it improves having patience. Thanks for the lesson. I learned many new things. You're beautiful. I'm using the google translator. I mention it in case I wrote something weird :)
Ha. That was great. Thank you, Sarah. I'd forgotten all about double and triple tonguing since college days on clarinet, which were a total fail. SO much easier on recorder. I think I've done a version of Did'll for years, but encorporating the others will be good. If only my fingers could speed up...
Wow I have much to learn. Very well explained. I think could elevate my playing to the next level. I just next an extra hour in every day. Seriously though can't wait to apply this video to my playing
Thank you so much for this really helpful video and channel! Any tips on how to manage the register break? I can double tounge dgdg over the break but really struggle with did'll.
Hi Sarah, love your videos. I know you probably won't see this, but maybe another commenter can help. I am at my wit's end. When I double-tongue anything above a C5 (second register C) on an alto, the note squawks or breaks. It sounds very much like I'm not giving it enough air or a good enough attack, but nothing I've tried has worked to get my fast double-tonging notes clean. This is when I'm using the 'K' in T-K-T-K or the 'G' sound in D-G-D-G. It's fine if I'm single-tonging. I've been trying to play the faster passages in Handel's Sonata in F Mov. 2 but it comes out sounding like a bunch of ducks fighting. I've been struggling with this for a year and can't seem to figure out what's wrong. It's not the recorder - it happens on all of them. :( Anyone have any suggestions?
I see all my comments 😄 And I think I have a tip for you! For the highest notes, you have to think of a fast air stream- not necessarily blowing more, but ‘faster’. Try blowing a thin stream of cold air on your palm. And this airstream has to continue when you play- blow ‘through’ the notes as this will help to support them. It’s a bit tricky to explain in text but I hope this helps!
Sarah, thank You So much!!!! One question for everybody: i know it Will differ, but: Is hier anybody, WHO reálly learned double tonning later? How long did it last for you to play faster by double tonning than without it? Thank you so much...
Hello :-) I just recently discovered your channel and watching the videos make me smile. Thank you! I was wondering about the recorder you use in this video, may I ask what recorder it is (brand, wood, I can see it's an alto recorder :-) )?
Hi Sarah, When should a novice start learning double tonguing? Is this only for people who are very experienced, say grade 8, or intermediate (say grade 5) or should it be introduced earlier? Is it actually needed for the type of music played in the early grades?
Hi Jacqui, there’s no hard and fast rule tbh. I think earlier than grade 5 isnt really necessary- and single tonguing is just as important, so it’s good to have that properly covered! (when I learned double tonguing I got reeeeally lazy with my single...) It can be interesting to introduce say around/after grade 5, and use as necessary?
Great videos, both the one on did'll and this one. My big question: When do you use did'll versus da/ga (the one presented in this video)? Different method books introduce different ones as their first lesson on double-tonguing. Would really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you so much for these outstanding videos - I'm learning so much from you!
Good question - Quantz does mention 'did'll' in Baroque music, and a lot of other sources mention 'tk'. I use did'll most of the time as I practiced it more and it's cleaner *sheepish face*. But in general I use did'll for smoother, softer colours, and 'dgdg' for contemporary music and a harder texture. But there is no right or wrong!
Wow, I wish someone had broken these tongue practices back when I was in junior and senior high school though I played the clarinet. You are very good at explaining these techniques. Sadly my fingers don't work anymore and my clarinet is in a bad way. Music was always very therapeutic.
Hi Sarah! I'm venezuelan, and I REALLY love your videos, I've learned a lot! In spite I play viola as my main instrument, I absolute love recorders! I'm a beginner in recorders, but I play an Alto Recorder and a Soprano recorder, based on Helmut Monkemeyer's method. In my country, I can't find a techer (yeah, it's rare) so, wanted to ask you about legato, portato, and non legato, because in Monkemeyer's studies he asks for it and I really don't know hoy to do it on my recorders. I understand symbols because I execute them on the viola, but in recorders... I have no idea. I appreciate if you could do some tutorials for beginners! Thank you so much and I'll keep learning from your videos. (Sorry if I kinda mess up my ideas, my native language is Spanish, and I'm not so fluent in english)
Great tutorial, thank you! I’ve tried to get the hang of double tonguing but always hit a wall because it seems like my tongue completely seizes up with only a few reps. :-P The “alternate” consonant (g/k) never comes close to matching the primary consonant either. I speak reasonably fast & with decent diction when not playing recorder, so not sure why I’m so klutzy in this - any suggestions? Or just, keep trying?
I would take it slow and build it up steadily- the tongue is a muscle like any other! Try repeating dgdgd, and if that works, then dgdgdgd, and so on. Also, the tongue needs to warm up during each practice session, so start with some single tonguing too to get into the zone!
Very good and informative video, yet again. How do you like your Mollenhauer Denner Edition Recorder, that you used for this video. I have the same one and it is definitely my favorite.
My primary instrument is the cello. There are all kinds of notation in cello sheet music to indicate the bowing technique to be used. Is there something similar for tonguing in recorder music?
@@amaryllis2313 So it is completely up to the performer’s interpretation of the piece? Or are there conventions related to the style of composition or period (eg. classical vs baroque)?
Why does one need to "tongue" fast notes rather than just changing the notes with fingering (I mean other than when needing to play the same note in succession)?
because the first note of a triplet should be (very slightly) accented. Try to accent some of the g's as well as some of the d's is an unnecessary complication.
Why all recorder sound is so horrible ? I made now one piccolo recorder in E and one Garklein recorder in A and sound is soft and beatiful ....What I do wrong , how I can made horrible sounding recorders ?
Gaahddd, at the start I thought that the video was mildly hot for a male viewer. But at 06:00 the reference became too strong to ignore it xD Guess as a dude I d rather stick to harmonica. Recorder gets too akward at this point. Maybe tin whistle is still ok, lol, I dunno.