Double Tonguing (dege–teke) & How to Apply It
Adapted from my article in American Recorder, Vol. LXIV, No. 1 (Spring 2023)
Your single tonguing has reached its limits and can’t keep up with your fingers. Time to bring in double tonguing—and to make it sound so natural that you won’t be tempted to switch back in fast passages.
Starting double tonguing will imply a temporary step back (you may feel slower at first), but it takes you much farther in the long run. In this article we will look at some of the major things you can correct in order to get great, fast double tonguing: a heavy tongue, irregular rhythm and lack of speed.
The syllables (and why I will focus on dege–teke in this article)
Double tonguing alternates two parts of the tongue so one works while the other briefly rests. The air is the motor—a continuous, steady stream that the tongue “floats” on.
lere and did’l: alternate the front part and sides of the tongue.
dege / teke: alternates back and front (K/G with T/D).
In this article I focus on dege–teke. The reason is that for me personally it’s the most versatile, with a high degree of control over the variables. It can range from the softest dege (almost re-he) to the crispest teke. This makes it suitable for everything from smooth legato lines to fast, articulated passages.
Bear in mind that syllables are only a teaching tool. Technically, it’s about alternating two parts of the tongue while the air stream stays continuous. The guttural K and G should be made as little guttural as possible—bring them forward toward the middle part of the tongue for a lighter, cleaner sound.
Set-up: posture, embouchure, vowel
Jaw neutral and still (no chewing).
Embouchure: soft U/whistle shape (“kissy mouth”), cheeks gently gathered.
Vowel inside the mouth: favor “i/e” (or French “u”) to keep the tongue compact; avoid “oo” (it bowls the tongue and invites noise).
Base of tongue & throat relaxed. If you feel tension, yawn. Always inhale on “ah/oh—this opens the air conduct to the lungs in the minimal time we have for inhaling.
Energy direction of T/D: away from the palate (think cat’s paw taps the water and springs back).
Let fingers lead; the tongue follows your clean finger timing.
Fixing a heavy tongue
Move K/G forward.
Say K (in the throat), then bring it forward toward the back molars. Feel and hear how the sound lightens as it comes forward. It will be easier to do when you do this in combination with T: so do the same with te-ke. Forward = lighter, quieter, faster.
Lighten T/D.
Tiny tip contact, quick release; the impulse goes backward (not pushing towards the palate).
Air carries, tongue rides.
Keep support steady so the tongue can be small and effortless.
Check the chain of relaxation.
Shoulders heavy, neck free, jaw neutral, embouchure gathered—not tight.
Keeping dege/teke even (not dotted)
Irregular “dotting” is common at first. Two antidotes:
Reverse practice:
Practice ke-te-ke-te and ge-de-ge-de on repeated notes. Keep K/G very light even on strong beats.
Triplet balance (rest both halves of the tongue):
Use te-ke-te ke-te-ke and de-ge-de ge-de-ge rather than repeating the same half (tekete tekete). It evens the pattern and prevents front-tongue fatigue.
Building speed (without tension)
Micro-motion: aim for the smallest tongue travel to the palate that still speaks clearly.
Break up a passage into smaller sections.
Your brain will be able to follow the fingers so you won’t tense up.
Practice a passage with two tempos:
Slow & aware (perfect coordination, perfect sound).
Tiny sprints—as fast as relaxed—in groups of 3/5/7/9 notes.
Target the last note.
Hear the destination and let a single, unbroken airstream carry you there.
Try out first with slurs.
If a passage doesn’t flow when slurred, it won’t flow when articulated either. Slurring reveals and corrects finger irregularities so the tongue doesn’t have to cover them up.
A short progression you can repeat daily
Repeated notes: dege/teke, then reversed (kete/gede).
Mini-scales (3-note cells up/down like CDE, and 5-note cells like CDEFG) with dege/teke;
then string the cells (CDE – DEF – EFG / CDEFG – DEFGA – EFGAB etc. and downwards).
Arpeggios you can play and memorize comfortably. I like doing 3 groups of the same arpeggio before going on to another one.
Drop it into repertoire lines you already control slurred.
Applying it in music (two quick case studies)
Telemann (Allegro. G.Ph. Telemann, Sonata, TWV41:C5, Essercizii musici.)
Upbeat start: begin with Ke (not Ge) to mark a fresh phrase that starts on a weak beat.
Flowing scales: use dege (softer end of the spectrum) to keep the line singing.
Two-voice illusion: What comes next is a simulation of
two voices: a higher voice as a drone
on a G; and a lower voice playing the
actual melody line. Group in twos:
Te on the melody notes; Ge on the drone. Clear, speech-like contrast.
Restarted scales after a break: begin those with Ke to clarify the new gesture.
G. Frescobaldi (Canzona detta la Bernardinia)
Piano: tiny teke, very short and light (I added the staccato for illustration purposes); with a steady airstream—keep support.
Forte: dege with a broad airstream; and find the center of the note where it best resonates, not forced.
Takeaway: teke ≠ forte and dege ≠ piano by default. They’re tools of speech riding on your air.
Common pitfalls → quick fixes
K/G too guttural → Bring K/G forward.
Noisy tongue → Switch to “i/e/french u” vowel; lighten cheeks into whistle shape.
Jaw movement → Mirror check; tell the jaw to stay neutral.
Tongue leading fingers → Make fingers the timekeeper; tongue follows.
Tension creeps in → Shrink the task: short sections, breathe, drop shoulders.
5-minute add-on routine (when time is tight)
30″ dege on repeated notes → 30″ kete/gede.
60″ triplets (tekete keteke / degede gedege).
60″ 3-note and 5-note cells up/down (slurred → dege → teke).
60″ one repertoire line: slurred → dege → teke where needed.
30″ cool-down on long tones to re-center sound.
Some final tips
Don’t go faster than your brain can track—that’s how you build real muscle memory. Keep the air spacious, the fingers tiny, the tongue lighter than you think, and listen with your body.
Work with small sections, and think of relaxing your shoulders and minimal movement. Your articulation can be really soft because the air is the one carrying the music (and your tongue)! Continue knitting the Teke/Dege together.
Think of very light articulation, but don‘t forget your sound. Play it as if it were a beautiful Adagio. The airstream is spacious, but the fingers are as small as we can get them. Think of it as one long line, as if it were one long note.
Little by little, everything lines up—and suddenly your double tonguing feels as natural as speech.
