Practice with Me Low Register Tonguing

Today's practice with me is Low Register Tonguing. The key to working on your low register is learning how not to blow air. Here’s an exercise that will help using a C chromatic scale going down.
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Practice with Me Low Register Tonguing
We all have trouble getting our really low notes to come out especially when you have to triple tongue or double tongue. They often come out as puffs of air.
Here’s an exercise that will help using a C chromatic scale going down.
So, come and practice with me today!
Have Fun!
DoctorFlute
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[@kwamerobinson5789]

This tutorial really has fixed a few challenges. I'm a professional Big Band & Jazz Combo Bari Sax player that doubles on Bass Clarinet. During this Covid sequester, I picked my Bass Flute back up after many years and I am studying (online) with a good friend who is a great flutist who also holds a Doctorate. My Eb4 to C4 (as written) was sounding really weak and my attack was horrid! Your tip about teeth spacing was the missing key and your tonguing exercise is helping attack my attack issue. I'm am so glad I finally found you!!! Thank you Doc, you have saved me from shaving off more years off my life - lol!

[@DoctorFlute]

Fantastic Kwame! That is exciting and exactly why I make these videos. Hearing this makes it all worth while. So happy for you. Have fun with those extra years!

[@Osnosis]

Care to let us know who the teacher is?

[@dianal.1279]

This is gold! I've finally got to tongue. I'm an adult beginner learning from videos and I didn't get the tonguing at all. Thanks to this lesson, I think I've got it. I could do a few. The exercise is very good! I'll use it also to try to get some embouchure flexibility going down to the low C. Thank you for the lesson!

[@DoctorFlute]

Fantastic Diana! I so excited for you.

[@marccroteau4717]

Great video. Great explanation. Thank you.

[@suzanneprior3251]

Game changer! I did not know you could hold your breath like that and still tongue! Amazing!

[@DoctorFlute]

Yay!

[@acidforblood]

All these videos on KZbin have been very helpful. I'm on my 19th day with my Yamaha 222 and I can play down to the low C. I've had to relearn sheet music, since the last time I learned it which was 23 years ago. Its a mixed bag of learning sheet music, learning the notes and reading them without letters next to them on the sheet. I ordered most of Trevor Wye's books and am on his first beginner book. Right now the tricky part is remembering the Sharp (#) notes and making sure I look at the key signatures before playing the piece as well as take notice of accidentals. My tone has improved dramatically since I got the flute 19 days ago. I was lucky though to play a few notes on it when I got it, as some people might struggle with this for weeks. I never really struggled with the flute 23 years ago, but because of KZbin and the method books that are available now I can progress rather quickly. I can do single tonguing quite easily, however it gets tricky if I try other types of tonguing like double or triple tonguing using pa! or ha!. Ka! seems to work though. Eventually I'll be able to get further. Right now I'm just working on the lower and middle register, learning the notes, more about flute sheet music and focusing on improving my breathing and tone. I want to order a Pneumo Pro flute trainer to help me with my breathing, articulation and embouchure . There is so much to learn with the flute. I can see why they have degree programs for it. It is really an art and with any art there is always perfectionism or the feeling of always being a student even though you may come off as a master to others. I probably only have 30 years left to learn this craft since I didn't start young and stay with it, but I feel as though through life experience I have been given more tools in my toolbox to work with versus when I was 15 years old. The internet was less evolved back then and we didn't have KZbin. My goal for next year is to get through a good portion of both Trever Wye's part one and part two beginner books. So basically learn the notes, the sheet music, and some scales. I feel that this is a reasonable goal.

[@DoctorFlute]

I love hearing your story. It sounds like you are on the correct path forward. I wouldn't worry about double tonguing at all. Let time takes its course and that will come. Work on breathing correctly and the basic flute skills. You'll have to show me some videos of you playing as time goes on I would love to hear your progress! Good luck!

[@dontaber6964]

Good advice about the air. And once you have this down, it will be time to start working on de la Sonorite part 3

[@DoctorFlute]

Sounds good!

[@barbarasully7449]

Thanks!

[@DoctorFlute]

Any time!

[@heidifluteatl]

Thank you so much for this. I am having real problems getting my lower register to speak consistently. I don't think its my instrument so these exercises will now be part of my routine!

[@DoctorFlute]

Great! Keep me posted on your progress.

[@living_strong]

very humble teacher

[@DoctorFlute]

Thanks so much!

[@2004EP]

I tried this with my teacher. It helped a lot. Very goooood explication. Thank you.

[@DoctorFlute]

Hi Claudia, I'm so glad it helped!

[@marciocursino7566]

Fantastic!!!

[@DoctorFlute]

Thanks Marcio!

[@cemalkan9856]

Thank you your advices helped a lot. Regards

[@DoctorFlute]

Thank-you! Are you having trouble with your low register?

[@cemalkan9856]

@@DoctorFlute I'm not having trouble with low register. I'm having a lot of trouble with low register. Any way I've started 5 months ago. I didn't loose my hope yet.

[@DoctorFlute]

Hold in the air hold it in!

[@cemalkan9856]

@@DoctorFlute at first it didn't work out so I decided to give up what I was doing before. Tried with your method first nothing came out. Then I began to do it. Thanks and regards...

[@alfredrimorin2083]

Just noticed your necklace pendant ♥️

[@DoctorFlute]

Ha! I wondered if anyone would notice!

[@Osnosis]

A couple of comments. It appears your head is moving back a little when you tongue the note. I also note that your lips spread slightly when blowing. Working on Berbiguier, and those low notes are hard! I am focusing on remembering the mouth cavity shape, too.

[@Osnosis]

To add to this, I would say that the pushing out of the diaphragm/stomach/ribs is a very intense muscular endeavour. Especially trying to minimize the air leakage.

[@kevinhagen8373]

Thank you for the lesson. My tong gets tired quickly. I see this will be a long developmental process to make this feel natural because I have been not touching the ridge behind my upper teeth. I have letting my tong hit the back of my lips. ( I am a sax player) so this is a big change to master. Unlearning a thing is hard. Wish me luck.

[@DoctorFlute]

Hi Kevin! Changing tonguing habits is very hard. It is probably one of the most difficult habits to change. I do want to clarify that you want you tongue to hit the little bump behind the top of the teeth on the roof of the mouth not the ridge that is half way back. You can do it!

[@acidforblood]

Is it normal to tongue low note with tongue on the roof of the the mouth or palate and moving the tongue closer to your teeth the higher up the notes you go. I find myself doing this when attempting to go up into the middle register. I find myself doing that and wondering if that's the right idea when approaching the 3rd register. I still sound fuzzy when tonguing after the 2nd G on the flute.

[@DoctorFlute]

Where I talk about the position of the tongue for the low register is exactly where I tongue for all the registers. The only thing that changes is how far apart the teeth are - closer together the higher you go. Keep the tongue forward al the time. The fuzzy sound is more because the teeth are probably too close together. Try that and let me know.

[@allanjmcpherson]

Would it be worthwhile to do this exercise between the first octave B and the low B as well?

[@DoctorFlute]

Hi Allan, sure there would be no down side to that plan. It just works really well on the slow to respond low register. For the middle register I would concentrate on focusing a very resonant tone in that short space.

[@allanjmcpherson]

@@DoctorFlute I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly. If I am, you're talking about playing up into the second octave on this exercise. What I had in mind was simply starting and ending a half step lower than what you described in the video.

[@DoctorFlute]

Ha! Yes I needed to read that more carefully. Sure it would be just as good and beneficial to begin on middle B and go down to low B.