The technique is a powerful tool that will greatly expand the overall capabilities of the trombonist. Because it is a multiple tongue technique, doodle tonguing allows the player to articulate much faster than is possible with the single tongue. The technique also produces much smoother articulations than can be achieved with the standard multiple techniques of double and triple tonguing. In addition to its speed and smoothness, doodle tonguing lends itself perfectly to music played with a swing feel. Even when rhythmic patterns may be slow enough to single tongue, doodle tonguing can often be preferable because it easily produces swing.
Many trombonists believe that doodle tonguing is performed using only a repetitive syllable pattern.
While some players would use the basic doodle patterns excusively, regardless of the music, better overall clarity is obtained when the doodle patterns are altered to fit each musical situation. In Doodle Studies and Etudes , a complete system of articulation is presented in which the syllable chosen to articulate each note maximizes definition and jazz feel without loss of speed. The result is a variety of syllable combinations and patterns dependent upon both the rhythmic structure of the music and changes in the overtone series on the trombone. It is the author's opinion that the doodle tongue technique is essential for all of today's aspiring trombonists and it is the only technique that properly satisfies the current demand for faster legato playing. It is not intended to replace the standard methods of trombone articulation, but this technique will add a new dimension to the trombonist's performance.