Practice Techniques:
- Play this extract slowly and with a full and free sound.
- Change the rhythms to establish even fingers
- Repeat and add a tummy muscle pulse on the first note of each crotchet beat.
- Now add a pulse on just the second note of each beat
- Pulse just the third note of each beat
- Pulse just the fourth note of each beat
- Repeat steps 2-5 and add a tongue attack to the pulse attack
- Gradually reduce the slurs until all tongued.
- Build up speed
- If you can, record yourself and listen to the clarity and tone quality
Welcome to the difficult subject matter of articulation.
There are so many factors involved and it’s difficult to know where to start and where to finish, but I will try and lead you through the complex world of tonguing.
So what is articulation? It is the use of the tongue to enable us to speak or play with clarity and so be understood by people listening to us. Almost all tutor books cover tone and technique before articulation. This is because articulation defines the beginning of a note and the success of the technique, is dependant on a solid sound production, with the coordination of the tongue, air stream and embouchure.
The tongue is not there to start and stop the note, but merely to clarify the start. If the tongue is used to stop the note, the airflow is affected and the quality of sound reduced. So the tongue defines the start of the note and shouldn’t stop the airflow or end the note.
Just as in speech it is the clarity of the articulation, which allows us to be understood. Articulation is our musical language.
Speech is a mixture of consonants and vowels. In flute playing it is a mixture of articulation and vowels. Vowels add an open and warm quality to your sound, whereas the articulation will create the drive and excitement.
I like to use string analogy when discussing articulation. Your tongue is the equivalent of the string player’s bow and your tummy muscles the string player’s arm. By imagining how a string player would bow a passage, which is visible, we can then be more creative in adapting the techniques we use, which are not visible. It’s not enough just to say “te”! We need to add as much variety to our articulation as a string player. So for example, the strength of attack, length of attack, the position of the tongue and the syllables we use.
Articulation is often ignored in the early learning process because there are so many other aspects of flute technique to think about and successful articulation only happens when the tone is well produced controlled by good breath control and even fingers. Try to have clear objectives before you start to practise articulation, rather than just tonguing and thinking that you will progress your level.
Are you practising to improve the clarity, speed, length, the dynamic or the variety, and there are so many varieties: single, double, triple, flutter, legato, staccato, staccatisimo, tenuto, accent, loure. So, so many!
We need to understand how we move the tongue, where it starts, how it moves where it finishes and the shape. We also have to think about which part of the tongue to use and where in the mouth to articulate.
There are two schools of technique in terms of where to tongue and they are based on speech and language. Flute players will normally and naturally tongue in the same place as their language dictates. In France the tendency is to tongue forward with the tongue between the lips. In England the tongue is further back and higher, hitting the roof of the mouth where the gum meets the teeth. Both techniques are successful, but being able to use both, will give you greater freedom and flexibility in performance.
The closer the articulation is to the mouth hole on the flute, the better the clarity.
Clarity is also affected by the amount of tongue used at the point of attack and the speed of attack. A more pointed tongue shape will add a crisper and clearer start, especially if co-ordinated with a faster movement.
Successful articulation can only be achieved through a variety of approach, and this variety of approach enables you to progress. Remember to try different techniques and listen to the results. If the results aren’t clear enough, then change something.
What to practise then?
Articulation practice should always start with tone production, because if the sound is not being produced well, then the articulation will not be clear.
You need to know what you sound like in a legato passage, so that you can recognise any loss of tone quality in an articulated passage. I use many different excerpts to practise, but one of my favourites is Paganini’s Moto Perpetuo.
Pick a few phrases and think about how to practise. You can find the sheet music easily on-line or pick something that you already have, that uses continuous movement.
So how to practise?
First play it very slowly and legato, all slurred. This is the time to concentrate on producing your best sound and most importantly your most expressive sound. What I mean by this is using your vibrato to create an expressive, warm and expansive tone. One of the commonest problems I hear when players articulate is that they forget to be expressive, so we hear “dead” articulation and not bright and “alive” articulation. Keep your fingers even and practise different dotted rhythms to help control your technique. If your fingers aren’t even, you cannot coordinate your tongue and fingers. When you’re happy that your tone and fingers are good, move on to the next stage, which is pulsing. Moto is in 4/4 time and uses semiquavers or 16thnotes. Using your tummy muscles, pulse the first note of each beat. Listen to your tone and make sure it sounds as good as when you’re playing legato. Now pulse the second note of each group only, then the third and finally the fourth. Pulsing helps make you aware of your tummy muscles, which support the breath and help maintain your tone. Little and often is the key to successful practice. Remember to pick just a few phrases at a time.
So this first phase of practising articulation, uses no tonguing at all, it’s just slurring everything but using your tummy muscles to pulse.
The nest step is to add the tongue. We add the tongue to the first note of each beat, alongside pulsing the first note of each beat. When you’ve mastered that stage, continue then to add the tongue to the second note of each beat only, then the third and finally the fourth.
The method now is to gradually take away the slurs, so that you end up tonguing all the notes. Starting with slurring groups of 2 semiquavers, keeping the air flowing, don’t let your tongue stop the airstream and very importantly, don’t shorten the slurs. Keep your ears open all the time. Now slur in groups of 3 semi’s with the last note articulated, then slur in 2’s with 2 notes articulated. Next slur 2 notes with 6 articulated and finally all articulated.
Ask your self: Do I sound the same as when I played legato? Am I engaging my tummy muscles? Am I keeping the full length of the notes and not shortening? Does the articulation sound clear? If it’s not clear, try changing the syllable: te, tuh, ta, tu. There are so many variables.
The problem from a teacher’s perspective, is that they cannot see inside your mouth to check where the tongue hits, and what shape it is. So each individual needs to experiment.
Articulation can have the effect of slowing down the tempo, whereas slurs can have the opposite effect of speeding up. So listen to the evenness of your fingers.
The other downside of articulation is that the tone can diminish, so practising different combinations of slurred and tongued notes can help the player hear if there is a difference in the tonal quality. In short, don’t let the articulation affect your tone or rhythm.
Welcome to the difficult subject matter of articulation.
There are so many factors involved and it’s difficult to know where to start and where to finish, but I will try and lead you through the complex world of tonguing.
So what is articulation? It is the use of the tongue to enable us to speak or play with clarity and so be understood by people listening to us. Almost all tutor books cover tone and technique before articulation. This is because articulation defines the beginning of a note and the success of the technique, is dependant on a solid sound production, with the coordination of the tongue, air stream and embouchure.
The tongue is not there to start and stop the note, but merely to clarify the start. If the tongue is used to stop the note, the airflow is affected and the quality of sound reduced. So the tongue defines the start of the note and shouldn’t stop the airflow or end the note.
Just as in speech it is the clarity of the articulation, which allows us to be understood. Articulation is our musical language.
Speech is a mixture of consonants and vowels. In flute playing it is a mixture of articulation and vowels. Vowels add an open and warm quality to your sound, whereas the articulation will create the drive and excitement.
I like to use string analogy when discussing articulation. Your tongue is the equivalent of the string player’s bow and your tummy muscles the string player’s arm. By imagining how a string player would bow a passage, which is visible, we can then be more creative in adapting the techniques we use, which are not visible. It’s not enough just to say “te”! We need to add as much variety to our articulation as a string player. So for example, the strength of attack, length of attack, the position of the tongue and the syllables we use.
Articulation is often ignored in the early learning process because there are so many other aspects of flute technique to think about and successful articulation only happens when the tone is well produced controlled by good breath control and even fingers. Try to have clear objectives before you start to practise articulation, rather than just tonguing and thinking that you will progress your level.
Are you practising to improve the clarity, speed, length, the dynamic or the variety, and there are so many varieties: single, double, triple, flutter, legato, staccato, staccatisimo, tenuto, accent, loure. So, so many!
We need to understand how we move the tongue, where it starts, how it moves where it finishes and the shape. We also have to think about which part of the tongue to use and where in the mouth to articulate.
There are two schools of technique in terms of where to tongue and they are based on speech and language. Flute players will normally and naturally tongue in the same place as their language dictates. In France the tendency is to tongue forward with the tongue between the lips. In England the tongue is further back and higher, hitting the roof of the mouth where the gum meets the teeth. Both techniques are successful, but being able to use both, will give you greater freedom and flexibility in performance.
The closer the articulation is to the mouth hole on the flute, the better the clarity.
Clarity is also affected by the amount of tongue used at the point of attack and the speed of attack. A more pointed tongue shape will add a crisper and clearer start, especially if co-ordinated with a faster movement.
Successful articulation can only be achieved through a variety of approach, and this variety of approach enables you to progress. Remember to try different techniques and listen to the results. If the results aren’t clear enough, then change something.
What to practise then?
Articulation practice should always start with tone production, because if the sound is not being produced well, then the articulation will not be clear.
You need to know what you sound like in a legato passage, so that you can recognise any loss of tone quality in an articulated passage. I use many different excerpts to practise, but one of my favourites is Paganini’s Moto Perpetuo.
Pick a few phrases and think about how to practise. You can find the sheet music easily on-line or pick something that you already have, that uses continuous movement.
So how to practise?
First play it very slowly and legato, all slurred. This is the time to concentrate on producing your best sound and most importantly your most expressive sound. What I mean by this is using your vibrato to create an expressive, warm and expansive tone. One of the commonest problems I hear when players articulate is that they forget to be expressive, so we hear “dead” articulation and not bright and “alive” articulation. Keep your fingers even and practise different dotted rhythms to help control your technique. If your fingers aren’t even, you cannot coordinate your tongue and fingers. When you’re happy that your tone and fingers are good, move on to the next stage, which is pulsing. Moto is in 4/4 time and uses semiquavers or 16thnotes. Using your tummy muscles, pulse the first note of each beat. Listen to your tone and make sure it sounds as good as when you’re playing legato. Now pulse the second note of each group only, then the third and finally the fourth. Pulsing helps make you aware of your tummy muscles, which support the breath and help maintain your tone. Little and often is the key to successful practice. Remember to pick just a few phrases at a time.
So this first phase of practising articulation, uses no tonguing at all, it’s just slurring everything but using your tummy muscles to pulse.
The nest step is to add the tongue. We add the tongue to the first note of each beat, alongside pulsing the first note of each beat. When you’ve mastered that stage, continue then to add the tongue to the second note of each beat only, then the third and finally the fourth.
The method now is to gradually take away the slurs, so that you end up tonguing all the notes. Starting with slurring groups of 2 semiquavers, keeping the air flowing, don’t let your tongue stop the airstream and very importantly, don’t shorten the slurs. Keep your ears open all the time. Now slur in groups of 3 semi’s with the last note articulated, then slur in 2’s with 2 notes articulated. Next slur 2 notes with 6 articulated and finally all articulated.
Ask your self: Do I sound the same as when I played legato? Am I engaging my tummy muscles? Am I keeping the full length of the notes and not shortening? Does the articulation sound clear? If it’s not clear, try changing the syllable: te, tuh, ta, tu. There are so many variables.
The problem from a teacher’s perspective, is that they cannot see inside your mouth to check where the tongue hits, and what shape it is. So each individual needs to experiment.
Articulation can have the effect of slowing down the tempo, whereas slurs can have the opposite effect of speeding up. So listen to the evenness of your fingers.
The other downside of articulation is that the tone can diminish, so practising different combinations of slurred and tongued notes can help the player hear if there is a difference in the tonal quality. In short, don’t let the articulation affect your tone or rhythm.