Tongue thrust

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The single, double and triple tongue thrust is used in wind instruments to generate sound as a sound start or for articulation .

The correct name would be tongue recoil , as the tongue is withdrawn more or less quickly and this allows the airflow to flow through the lip opening, which is necessary for sound formation. The air flow is started or stopped with the tongue or the soft palate . The sequence of movements is described with the syllables “ta-ka”, “te-ke” or “ti-ki” with a sharper beginning of the note and with “da-ga”, “de-ge” or “di-gi” with a softer note or portato passages.

The maximum speed for a simple tongue thrust ( single tongue ) is for 1/16 notes at around tempo MM = 115, for trained players up to tempo MM = 150.

For fast passages the double tongue thrust ( double tongue ) or the so-called triple tongue thrust (triple tongue ) is often used. These two playing techniques alternate the air lock at the tip of the tongue with the interruption of the air flow on the hard palate, as is done with the syllables “ke” or “ge”. The double tongue is therefore described with “teke” or “taka”, the triple tongue with “teteke” or “tataka”.

The maximum speed with double tongue thrust is for 1/16 notes at around tempo MM = 150, for trained players up to tempo MM = 200.

With brass instruments and flutes , the use of the double tongue is much easier than with reed instruments , where the player has part of the mouthpiece in his mouth, because it makes it difficult to control the sound quality. Nevertheless, most professional wind players today use the double reed for very fast staccato passages, although it is somewhat less common to come across clarinetists who have mastered this technique.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mario, Zsaitsits (2012). For the tongue when playing brass instruments ( Memento from February 16, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Matthias Bertsch (2013). Tonguing on brass instruments: tempo and endurance. ISPS Proceedings. (in print) ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )