1-Minute Tonguing Drill
1. Double tongue middle G for 1 minute. Breathe as necessary.
Variations:
*Triple tongue middle G for 1 minute.
*Double/triple tongue higher notes for 1 minute.
*Double/triple tongue lower notes for 1 minute.
*Double/triple tongue scale segments within a partial: middle G up to C, low C down to F♯, etc.
*Double/triple tongue in 5-second intervals for 1 minute or longer.
*Double/triple tongue in 10-second intervals for 1 minute or longer.
At some point during a minute of constantly double tonguing any note, the tongue will fatigue and start to burn. The tempo will flag as a result. The pitch will go haywire. The more out of-shape the tongue, the greater the breakdown. The tongue is so resilient that a day or two of this drill will whip it back into shape. One or two breaths per minute should be all that’s required.
Varying the tempo and the length of the articulated note is a good exercise. When breaking the drill up into intervals, it should last longer than a minute.
