I'm working on double and triple tonguing. I have been using Bugler's Holiday as a touchstone for one of them, but I don't know which one it should be a touchstone for, double or triple or either interchangeably.

My instructor says my triple tonguing is there, I just have to stay the course with it (it's either slow or sloppy, but it's coming, sort of). Double tonguing isn't going as well... yet. If I get one of them down, do I need/continue to pursue the other? Is one more useful/common than the other? Right now, it is confusing my tongue going between them.

Other than Bugler's Holiday, what would be some other good sound samples of the respective techniques to emulate (easy to moderate please).

Triple tongue works best in parts that have triple meter (triplet eighths, for example). Double tongue works best in parts with duple meter.

Learning both is beneficial.

Double tonguing: Rolling Thunder March. Especially at "tempo di tear-a$$".

Triple tonguing: Look at some of the variations in the back of Arban's.

Buglers' Holiday requires both in various places.

I made good progress in double tongue when I practiced the Ta and Ka articulations separately (try playing a line of Ka notes) and then put them together.

<YOUTUBE id="krfouN2UTGI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfouN2UTGI</YOUTUBE>

I was taught by one of my private teachers as a teenager (he taught all brass instruments) that "if you are single-tonguing the Bugler's Holiday, the tempo is too slow." My brass quintet performs it frequently with three trumpets (I play the trumpet on the third part) and we have always used that as a tempo guidance. We usually end up with the pulse at about 144 bpm.

I would like to do it sometime with three trombones (like Doug's recording) in my brass quintet. It would funny to see the trumpet players try to survive on trombones!

PaulT.....back to your original concern. With most people, comfort and agility with triple tonguing usually happens before comfort with double tonguing. After all, there's a reason that Arban had triple tonguing first in his method book. Keep working at it and use a metronome. It will come with time. Bugler's Holiday is actually a great piece for practicing double tonguing!

For a practice technique, I try to get my students to accent the guttural "Ka" syllable very loudly when playing slowly. I make them play the "Ka" twice as loud as the "Ta." I do this because many students do not actually use the proper guttural sound and they end up faking it. Producing a clear and dependable guttural "Ka" is essential for triple and double tonguing. As they get better and the triple/double tonguing becomes more natural and steady, I have my students modulate to more of a "teh, keh" (like "Ted") vowel sound. This keeps the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth and allows for greater speed.

Thanks, guys!

[quote="Doug Elliott"]<YOUTUBE id="krfouN2UTGI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfouN2UTGI</YOUTUBE>[/quote]

That’s fun. Thanks for posting.

I'd suggest practicing "K" tonguing at a comfortable tempo, concentrating on keeping it clean, then incorporate it into your double and triple tonguing, with the goal of not being able to hear the difference between the "T"s and "K"s. Recording yourself will help.

I prefer D and G instead of T and K. It's less motion, smoother, and easier to develop speed cleanly.

[quote="Doug Elliott"]I prefer D and G instead of T and K. It's less motion, smoother, and easier to develop speed cleanly.[/quote]

Good point. That's what I meant; D and G interrupt a constant air flow, whereas T and K put one in a mindset of spitting the notes out, which is not the goal. I apologize for my error in terminology.