Double tonguing
Tonguing technique (roughly "t-k") for fast note repetitions on wind instruments.
What it means
Double tonguing is an articulation technique on wind instruments that makes very fast note repetitions possible, ones that cannot be cleanly produced with single tonguing alone. Two different tongue movements alternate, usually described as the syllables “ta-ka” or “t-k”: a forward tongue stroke against the ridge behind the teeth, and a back stroke made further back in the throat.
Musical use
Double tonguing is used mainly on brass instruments such as trumpet and horn, as well as on woodwinds such as flute and bassoon, whenever fast, evenly repeated notes are required, for instance in virtuosic orchestral and solo passages of the 19th and 20th centuries. For even faster, three-part repeated patterns, such as triplets, the related technique of triple tonguing is used instead, with the syllable pattern “ta-ka-ta.”
Double tonguing should be distinguished from single tonguing, which articulates every note with the same forward tongue stroke and reaches its limits at very fast tempos, and from flutter-tonguing, which uses an entirely different, rolling tongue motion for a buzzing sound effect.
Performance practice
Practise double tonguing separately at first: speak the syllables “ta-ka-ta-ka” aloud and evenly without the instrument, then transfer them slowly to a single held note. Make sure both tongue strokes sound equally loud and equally long, so the note repetition does not sound uneven, and only increase the tempo once both syllables are secure.