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FLUTTER-TONGUE

Flutter-tongue
Dr. Jacqueline Leclair Bowling Green, Ohio

The notion thatflutter-tonguing requires a "knack" or a genetically endowed skill is incorrect. Any wind player can flutter-tongue.

lective best interest. Being very flexible and imaginative in our playing will only help live musicians compete with non-live music alternatives. Flutter-tongue is a useful color or tool for a musician to have available to serve music.

he tongue is a remarkably agile, sophisticated and sensitive organ made up of four muscles, lots of nerves, and taste buds galore. It is perpetually performing all kinds of important jobs for us, most of which go completely unnoticed as we eat, speak, play our instruments and generally go about life. The tongue is an impressive virtuoso of our anatomy, right up there with our hands. The way the tongue is very different from our hands is that most of what we do with our tongues we accomplish without paying much attention. We can't see our tongue work as we can see our hands work. This can make our tongues a little mysterious to us when we try to do something new with them. Consciously trying something new with your tongue can feel funny and be a little baffling. But that is understandable because it is so unusual for us to try consciously to learn something new with the tongue. One can read in orchestration books that fluttertongue is impossible on some wind instruments, especially the oboe. This is incorrect. One also hears that flutter-tongue is genetic, i.e. one can either flutter or one can't. This is absolutely incorrect. I have searched for any basis of this genetic claim, and there is none. Also, one hears that there are "two kinds of flutter-tongue: the tip of the tongue and the back of the throat." This is also incorrect. None of these restrictions exist in reality. Read on! There is every reason to believe you and your students can learn flutter-tonguing. Flutter-tongue has been written for woodwinds since the late 1800s in pieces such as Strauss Don Quixote (1897) where the clarinets flutter-tongue, and Stravinsky le Sacre de Printemps (1913) and Varese Octandre (1924) that both have the oboe flutter-tongue. Like many unusual techniques, flutter-tongue is called for with increasing frequency today as music styles mix and wind players are expected to produce an increasing variety of effects. To do so is in our col-

THE MECHANICS OF FLUTTER-TONGUE Flutter-tongue is created by allowing some part of the tongue, soft palette and/or uvula to relax and create turbulence in the airstream, producing a fluttering effect. The three basic ways to produce flutter-tongue 1) Fluttering in the back of the mouth with the back of the tongue and possibly the uvula or soft palate creating the flutter. - This is the "growling" technique which can work fine. In some people it produces a weaker flutter effect than is desired. Its disadvantage is that it lacks flexibility (the ability to vary flutter intensity and quick starting/stopping ability). Its advantage is that the "growling" technique does not interfere with the embouchure. 2) Fluttering in the front of the mouth with the tip of the tongue creating the flutter. - This technique interferes with the embouchure and articulation control. In the case of oboe, the player usually must allow air to escape around the reed. The flutter effect is usually pronounced, but the sound of the air escaping is often noisy and loss of playing control is substantial. For other wind instruments, tip-of-the-tongue flutter-tongue can be all right, but it tends to be clumsy to start and stop smoothly; and there tends to be only one intensity.

3) Fluttering in tr middle of the tor the tongue stays n - This is the duces a stro easily. This any range, of the flutte strong. - The tip of th flutter occur be articulati point offlutt reed, thus on closer to the farther away flutter. - Since the tip enure remain tions, the play unaffected by - The player ca certain speed)

LEARNING FLUTTE

1) Produce a flutter e YOU are about to say

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Play around with it to f (Keep the tip of your t side of your lower teeth

2) Practice the flutter e tip of your tongue mo

backs of the lower teeth

0 When you are comf sound, take your reed o do a modified version

sense to you): Open your Piece on your lower lip into the reed/mouthpiece piece on your lip, mout reed/mouthpiece, not pla

THE DOUBLE REED

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JTTER-TONCUE Allowing some part of the uvula to relax and create m, producing a fluttering

3) Fluttering in the front of the mouth with the front/ middle of the tongue creating the flutter (the tip of the tongue stays motionless). - This is the technique I recommend. It produces a strong flutter that can start and stop easily. This flutter works at any dynamic in any range, and one can vary the intensity of the flutter effect from weak to extremely strong. - The tip of the tongue stays motionless. The flutter occurs about where the tongue would be articulating to say the word, "cat." The point of flutter is close to the opening of the reed, thus one can move the point of flutter closer to the reed to intensify the flutter, and farther away to decrease the intensity of the flutter. - Since the tip of the tongue and the embouchure remain in their normal playing positions, the player's control remains virtually unaffected by the flutter-tongue. - The player can articulate normally (up to a certain speed) while flutter-tonguing.

4) When you can do that comfortably, gradually start to direct the flutter into the reed/mouthpiece, but do not form a normal embouchure. That would probably stop the flutter. Concentrate on maintaining the flutter-tongue and gradually directing the flutter into the reed to make a noise...not like normal playing. That will come later. For now, make any sound at all. Your only objective is to get the flutter into the reed. 5) Do Step 4 with your reed/mouthpiece in the instrument. Avoid "normal playing mode" which tends to stop the flutter-tongue in its tracks. Focus on the flutter and getting it into the instrument. Make any silly noises you want. This is not the moment to produce a beautiful tone. Blow lots of air, make loud sounds without a normal embouchure and keep that flutter going. 6) Once you are making flutter sounds on your instrument, form a normal embouchure gradually while retaining the flutter-tongue. Over time, refine your flutter-tonguing skills.

oduceJIuUerztongue TEACHING FLUTTER-TONGUE >f the mouth with the back ly the uvula or soft palate ng" technique which can people it produces a weakn is desired. Its disadvani flexibility (the ability to ;y and quick starting/stopvantage is that the "growl,es not interfere with the
LEARNING FLUTTER-TONGUE

tof the mouth with the tip of flutter. iterferes with the embou[ation control. In the case :r usually must allow air to ,e reed. The flutter effect is :ed, but the sound of the air . noisy and loss of playing itial. For other wind instru:-tongue flutter-tongue can t tends to be clumsy to start ly; and there tends to be only

1) Produce a flutter effect with your tongue: Pretend you are about to say "cat" and make a flutter sound with your tongue in that position. It is the same basic effect as one makes at the beginnings of the words 'chutzpah" and "jalapeno" and maybe some other non-English words you know. The flutter sound is also similar to some "joke" sounds one might make, for example when theatrically pretending to get ready to spit, or when talking the way Donald Duck talks. Play around with it to find a flutter that works for you. (Keep the tip of your tongue in contact with the inside of your lower teeth to ensure it stays still.) 2) Practice the flutter effect. Make sure you keep the tip of your tongue motionless (in contact with the tacks of the lower teeth is generally effective). 3) When you are comfortable producing the flutter sound, take your reed or mouthpiece. (Brass players, do a modified version of the following that makes sense to you): Open your mouth, put the reed/mouthpiece on your lower lip and then flutter-tongue, not into the reed/mouthpiece, just with the reed/mouthpiece on your lip, mouth open...fluttering over the reed/mouthpiece, not playing it.

Any persistent wind player can learn to flutter-tongue on his/her own using the above approach. There are more examples every day of wind players fluttertonguing on recordings and on YouTube. As a teacher, simply explaining to a student how flutter-tongue works and how to learn it is sufficient. I have taught people to flutter-tongue without demonstrating the technique. It is fine to demonstrate, but not necessary. The most important elements for the teacher to present to the student are the specific information (above) and encouragement.

FLUTTER-TONGUE TIPS Flutter-tongue does not require more air than normal playing. Flutter-tonguing is actually very similar to normal playing, once one gets the hang of it. Flutter-tonguing doesn't feel like a "big deal." I mention this because some people expect flutter-tonguing to be more difficult than it is or to require a lot more air than normal playing; and these misunderstandings can slow down the learning process.

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FLUTTER-TONGUE

Each time you practice flutter-tonguing, begin at a step of the process where you are 100% confident. Practice flutter-tonguing frequently, every time you practice, if only for a few seconds. (If you practice flutter-tongue just once in a while, it will be harder to learn.) One can flutter-tongue anywhere on the instrument at any dynamic. One can start and stop the flutter-tongue at will, even on a long tone. By moving the flutter forward or backward in the mouth (closer to and farther away from the reed's aperture), the flutter intensity can be increased and decreased in order to achieve the desired effects. ^

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