Articulation gives the music variety, there are a number of different ways of producing a note, tonguing and legato are two basic ways.

To tongue (articulate) a note place the tongue behind the top of the top teeth and pronounce "too" or "doo" a  "g" as in goo or " k"  as in ken.  These last two produce a slightly softer note
Slurred notes are a series of notes played without tonguing. The first note of a slurred series is usually tongued, but not always. A slur is notated by a curved line above or below the notes to be slurred

In Irish whistle music there are varied opinions on articulation, basically it comes down to a matter of taste. Many traditional players use tonguing very sparingly to great effect others use more also to great effect.

Practicing these techniques can get boring but they are very useful to master....little and often!

Some different ways to tongue a series of notes are single tonguing (ta ta ta) double tonguing (taka taka taka) or (daga daga daga ) and triple tonguing (takata takata takata) or. (dagada dagada dagada)
Other tonguing can be used for different strength of attack, so for single tonguing (da) which sounds much the same as (t) or a soft (g) which is a softer sound because the tip of the tongue doesn't come into contact with the back of the teeth. A softer tonguing approach would be used for an unaccented note. 

 Just to confuse things a bit more in the second clip "The Kesh" there is single followed quickly by double, thus (taa taka taa) If you don't get all these ta ka's and da ga's then hopefully the clip will explain.

There are other tonguing techniques such as Glottal stops  but I am not going into that at the moment. 

Tonguing and Slurring

On the notes below firstly tongue every note making the transition between notes as smooth as possible and give each note it's proper length, secondly tongue the first note and slur over to the second and tongue the third. 

An important point about middle D (the last note of the fourth bar) that note should be vented (oxx xxx) It is crucial to good tone in slower passages and should become second nature.  Sometimes in really fast passages this doesn't matter so much but in almost all cases it is better to do so.

D whistle tonguing and slurring

Single tonguing

Tonguing can be practiced without the whistle. Try singing an Indian Raga, those sort of tunes use fast tonguing. In the next example use single tonguing firstly, then double tonguing.
Please remember this is only an exercise for using different tonguing techniques, the tune would never be played with every note tongued. 
The notes under the commas can be dropped to take a breath and accentuate the rhythm.

D whistle single and double tonguing

Double tonguing

Double tonguing  can be used on faster passages. It might sound the same as single but should be still be practiced as the tongue can trip over on very fast passages. Below is a tune which can uses a mixture of double and single.
No tune would use one one type of tonguing as it would become very boring very quickly.

Under the notes are the tongue actions, on the second bar, fourth beat, a quaver (eighth note) notice there is an (o) underneath  the note, that means just blow the note without articulating with the tongue. In the next bar, to add some variety tongue the first note slur over to the next, tongue the third and fourth and slur over to the next, tongue the remainder of the bar. The last bar don't tongue the first note and soft tongue the next (k).
I have put on two clips, one is at a reasonable pace and the next is the same clip slowed down to half speed.

Generation D whistle double tonguing half speednormal

Triple tonguing

Below is an exercise in triple tonguing,
I will say again, any particular articulation shouldn't be over-used as it can make a tune sound lifeless. In the jig below there are  a couple of places to vary the tonguing, where there are slurred notes and on the breathing places. When you are familiar with the tune different tonguing techniques can be brought into play to make the tune more interesting.. For instance the groups of three notes could be slurred in one bar and tongued in another

D whistle triple tonguing fasterhalf speed

Another way of triple tonguing is to articulate "tiddley tee".

D whstle tiddley tee

Staccato tonguing

Another articulation is Staccato which is produced by making the note short and attacking it with less of the (oo). Another way of doing this is to cut the note in half. In this example there is a rest between the notes so articulate them with a quick (T).

In the clip I have played it slowly first time articulating every note, second time a bit faster to show the staccato effect and thirdly to mix it up a bit to give a bit of swing.

D whistle staccato tonguing

Slurred Notes

Slurring notes (also called legato) is playing notes without using the tongue. In the following jig tongue the first note of the slurred groups. There is a breath mark at bar 5, alternatively for a different breathing place the 5th note of bar 3 could be dropped. Avoid breathing at the beginning of the bar, the breath should come on a weak note. Take it very slowly using the articulations indicated. These can be changed for personal taste later. If possible, to fulfill the purpose of the exercise play as written. The purpose being to be able mix articulations. 

D whistle Rose in the Heather fasterhalf speed

Dotted notes

Dotted notes are common in Hornpipes and can give a tune drive. The value of a dotted note it's original value plus a half, so a crotchet (quarter note) will become a crotchet and a half.

Here is the first part of a Hornpipe with dotted notes and triplets. Take it slowly giving each note it's due and keeping the triplets crisp. Use a mixture of single tonguing and slurring. I slur the triplets but triple tonguing could be practiced.

Finding breathing places is an important element of playing a tune. In the following clip I have put comma's where I breathe. (dropping the note underneath where needed) Dropping notes are a common option and give the tune added lift.

Put in as many breathing spots as needed but don't wait until you are drowning before taking one!

Play about with the tune to find what works best for you.

D whistle    Stack of Wheat Hornpipe

In some tunes notably Scottish Strathspeys the dotted note will be reversed, this gives it a different feel. On the second time round at the second bar I use double tonguing on the two semi-quavers (sixteenth notes).

D whistle strathspey

 top