Articulation for recorder players & other wind instruments: single, double, use in music, inégalité

In the third episode of my series Recorder Technique Essentials, I will cover the basics for effective articulation, the specifications of single tonguing (T, D, R, L, Dud) and double tonguing (Lere, Did'l, Degue / Teke), how to solve a noisy tongue, inégalité and how to apply and practice groupings of articulations in musical pieces.

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Versión española de este vídeo (sub PT/IT):    • Articulación para flautistas de pico ...  

00:00:00 - intro
00:00:15 - single tonguing
00:00:37 - jaw, tongue, air
00:01:29 - difference T and D
00:02:08 - Dud
00:02:15 - noisy tongue?
00:02:30 - R and L
00:02:46 - sounds of T, D, Dud, R, L
00:03:30 - where on the palate?
00:04:20 - staccato, legato, portato
00:05:37 - Double tonguing: Lere
00:06:06 - Did'l
00:06:54 - from Dege to Teke
00:08:58 - tonguing in musical pieces
00:11:06 - Dud for low notes
00:11:36 - tonguing in musical pieces II
00:12:06 - inégalité
00:13:39 - dotted rhythms & Quantz
00:15:07 - how to practise groupings
00:17:08 - PDF & info

Jaw, tongue, air:

The tongue should be totally relaxed within the mouth, with only the tip of the tongue working. The jaw is relaxed and in a neutral position. It shouldn't move when playing.
So in which part of the palate should we articulate? No need to touch the teeth or the instrument. The general rule is to articulate behind the teeth.
For the tongue to be agile, a constant flow of air is required. That's why we must maintain our breath support, without relaxing it between notes.

Simple tonguing

The T closes the gate for the air, momentarily cutting it off.
The D is normally used to interrupt but not to cut off the air stream.
The R is a bit smoother than the D, because it uses even less of the tongue.
The L is the softest; we can use it to get a tremolo, a historical ornamental effect on a single note.
The Dud we use as a softer T, necessary in the low notes.

Double tonguing

Lere and Did'l work in a similar way, alternating between two tongue positions. The L allows air to flow along the sides of the tongue. D'l uses a different part of the tongue than the D.
Teke and Dege alternate between the tip of the tongue and the back of the tongue. Teke is the strongest and on the other end of the spectrum is a very smooth Degue.
In Teke / Dege, try to get the K or G forward as far as possible. Instead of pronouncing it in the throat, it can be articulated around where the back teeth are.

Staccato / Legato / Portato

Legato is a continuous use of air without any articulation, uniting all the notes in a great flow of air. It is good for working on air support and coordination between the different fingerings.
Staccato separates the notes, playing each note as short as possible. The support of the air remains active, it is the tongue that makes the difference: instead of "Tu", we articulate a very short "Tut" with the tip of the tongue resting against the palate.
Portato or non-legato is everything in between, from nearly legato but articulated to a slightly wider version than staccato.

Application and practice of articulation groupings

In the video I leave you some very basic guidelines. In short:
T is used for repeated notes and jumps.
D is used for movement in seconds.
Always look at how the music is grouped.
The T is not always articulated on the downbeat.
The dotted rhythms are normally Tu, Tu-Du, Tu-Du.

A tip for practicing T and D combinations is Kees Boeke's wonderful study book “The Complete Articulator”.

Inégalité

In French Baroque music, the movement in seconds (scale movement) is normally articulated as Tu tu-Ru tu-Ru tu-Ru, with the Tu in a weak beat and the Ru in a strong beat. It suggests a slight irregularity between the notes.

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