Sometimes, it's important to think about skills we have been working on since the beginning of our study with the trumpet.
Single tonguing is almost certainly the first kind of articulation you heard or were taught—but it remains one of our most used and important skills!
With this in mind, you may ask:
- What are good ways to improve your single tongue speed?
- Can't I just use multiple tonguing if my single tongue isn't fast enough?
We have answers to these and more!
Single Tonguing—Articulation’s Home Base
Single tongue is our default as trumpet players—because of this, it can be overlooked in our practice. Since we use this skill the majority of the time we play (regardless of style!), it’s important to increase its consistency and speed.
A solid, flexible, and efficient single tongue will allow you to play many different types of music with ease. Whether it’s a solo piece with piano, improvisation with a jazz combo, or even a funk horn line—all of these demand varying speeds of single tongue.
At Trumpet Warmup, we have videos of exercises and routines to help you improve this foundational skill!
Leadpipe Single Tongue with Matthew Ernst (video play-along)
Along with the video you can practice with, Matthew Ernst provides an introduction that affirms the importance of an agile single tongue.
The video also demonstrates an exercise using leadpipe buzzing and flutter tonguing to improve the consistency and evenness of air flow through articulation. We highly recommend using this exercise to your advantage!
1 Minute Instructionals - Leadpipe Single Tongue with Matthew Ernst
- A rapid single tongue is an important skill to develop throughout your study.
- This exercise will help you find a relaxed and efficient tongue position
- The exercise will also help you find your limits in terms of tempo—and improve them!
What About Multiple Tonguing?
Having a solid foundation in single tonguing can help unlock the possibility of efficient and effective multiple tonguing!
As you will likely discover when working on both single and double/triple tonguing, there is likely a “gap” where you sense the tempo is too fast for a single tongue and too slow for a double/triple tongue.
This is common but should be minimized! Some of the most challenging elements of articulation are due to these thresholds in tempo.
For example, the famous trumpet excerpt from Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major highlights this issue often in trumpet players who are first studying the excerpt.
As you continue to practice, keep track of your maximum tempi with single and multiple tonguing. See if you can eliminate the gap!
Final Thoughts
Articulation is very important on our instrument. Continue to aspire for higher levels of nuance and ease in your articulation—and be sure to check in with single tonguing!
As always, we hope Trumpet Warmup can continue to be a part of your journey through learning this wonderful instrument. Stay motivated and keep going!
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