I've been really frustrated with trying to flutter tongue! I've been practicing just that for about 3 months and I can't do it for more than 1 beat and in the song I'm trying to play I need to for 16! Does anyone know of any special tips or tricks to it?
Any sort of help would be much appreciated!! Thanks!

Well, there are two types of flutter tonguing, a true flutter tongue, and a uvular flutter. The tongue flutter actually involves movement of the tongue, while the uvular flutter requires you to pull the back of your tongue up and back slightly, as if you were gargling. You might find more success if you try the other type. Also, high resistance notes can make it much easier to learn to flutter tongue (when I taught myself, I started on E3), as you stand less chance of cracking the notes as you learn how to use your air to facilitate and maintain a flutter tongue. Once you've master using it on one sustained (preferably high resistance note), then you can start trying to use it in other parts of the range. It will take a little time to become comfortable flutter tonguing throughout the full range of the instrument, but dedicate 5 or 10 minutes a day to it, and you shou;d have it down in a couple of weeks.

My that was quick!
I practiced it today on E3 and it was alot better than the notes I was trying to flutter tongue on before.
Thanks!

I'm very glad I could help! Just out of curiosity, what notes were you trying to use before?

The lowest resistance ones I could think of. Like the first notes that a flute player usually learns. B, C, and D mostly.

<Added>

I was thinking that if I just played notes that didn't take much effort, it would be easier. But now that someone made the suggestion of higher resistance notes, it does make alot more sense.
Thanks again! :)

I always had problems trying to fluttertongue but I'll try again now after reading this. Thanks

Another learning thing, flutter tongue, something I have never practiced or used. This is the first I have heard of it, but probably know it as something else...

I think this is what I learned as Throating. It's when the Uvula vibrates, from a wind vibration coming up the throat and it really tickles as the tongue will move up and down as well, and I hate it...so I don't do it. So there!

If this is not what you are talking about, then I please explain it more, I love to learn!

That may be what we're talking about, though "throating" is not a term usually used within the flute world. There are two distinct ways to produce a fluttertongue, one uses the tongue, and the other the uvula, so you may have learned a uvular flutter. Using the tongue, the very tip vibrates, and in a uvular flutter (which usually requires you to pull your tongue up and back a bit, as if you were gargling), the uvula does the moving. After a bit of practice it should cease to tickle, though everyone's a bit different, so it may be something about your physiology that causes this sensation. It's a pretty useful tool, and is necessary for some modern music, so I would encourage you to develop it further. A nice little video demonstrating it can be found here:

http://www.johnmcmurtery.com/ET/CTft.html

And this should help you determine whether your "throating" is the same fluttertongue we're talking about.

That may be what we're talking about, though "throating" is not a term usually used within the flute world.

Who cares if uppity yuppity flute world doesn't use it, Roger does and he rocks! lolololol!!!!! Why does every little term matter to some of these fancy flutists? I wonder if they ever get bored of their world revolving around flutes, flute, flutes!
Okay.. I am done now

Who cares if uppity yuppity flute world doesn't use it, Roger does and he rocks! lolololol!!!!!

And by no means was I trying to imply that he does anything other than rock simply because he may know the technique by a different name. I simply commented that within the flute world, it's commonly known as flutter tonguing, rather than throating...A bit of information that may make life easier for him in the future, should further discussion of the technique come up.

Why does every little term matter to some of these fancy flutists?

It matters only for the sake of clarity in discussion, particularly when we communicate through the written word like we do here. If we all had our own vernacular for the different techniques, parts, etc. of a flute, it would be a confusing world indeed!

Lighten up Chris, I was just horsing around.

Throating, may not even a the term, and another is rolling your r's and at the same time humming in the same key to your flute while you are blowing, making 3 sounds at once threw the flute (1 from your voice, 1 from the lips/tongue, and 1 from the flute itself), I learned this from listening to Jethro Tull, and what is that term?
I use many techniques not in any book that I have found, but I have never worried about it. They are what they are. I do know triple and double tonging and I know those terms, and slurring the notes, but outside of that, classical teachers never taught me these other radical techniques, I just learned them from great jazz flutists like Ian Anderson. My flute teacher all these years hates those techniques, so I learned them all on my own. On my mp3 Take 2 here on 8notes, I go nuts with all of these techniques. Now, let's name them? I would really like to know what the correct terms are, since I have never been told. I am serious too, can anyone name some of these techniques?

Oh, here is one, whistle tones. A technique where you blow very lightly into the flute getting harmonic tones and you can even play songs using specific whistle tones. I was taught this in college. It teaches breath control, embouchure and tone control supposedly, but I don't really agree with it.

Rumble tones (term???), a technique where you blow into the flute like a trumpet, vibrating your lip, and then pull back until the tone breaks into a vibrating lip and the flute also at the same time begins to play like the pop bottle sound. It will rumble at first and then slide into a purer sound little by little. It took me years to get this one down.

Hmm.. Chris hasn't answered yet. Must be unconscious or sleeping. lol! If anyone would know the correct terms, I am sure it would be him.

Ian does do some pretty interesting things on the flute. It would be fun to see him live.

Chris are you out there researching this now? I hope so, cause I am waaaay to lazy to research it.

I mastered this awesome new style of play called circular breathing! Now I can smoke and play the flute at the same time! (You have to stick the cigarette in your nose to work.) I have learned that the smoke resin makes the flute actually res-innate better. After all it is resin! The new things I have learned from all of you here on 8notes, is amazing. Thanks everyone for these wonderful ideas!