Re: [Harp-L] Example of Throat Vibrato




On Sep 23, 2004, at 10:43 PM, samblancato wrote:


Thanks everybody for your input on throat vibrato. Maybe this sounds silly
but I was hoping there was somebody out there who would be able to explain
the "easy" way to learn this;

* Try this method. Take a piece of paper (about 2" x 4"). Fold it so that 3" is on one side and 1" is on the other. Place paper over tines of a common hair comb (with long side of paper away from you). Hold up to mouth and pursing the lips, blow a stream of air at the paper. Use pulsating breath by NEARLY (but NOT fully) closing off the throat (AT the epiglotis..just as you stated below). Start with ONE breath per second, go to 2, then 3, then 4, and so on practicing timing each series till it's comfortable. Note: pulsing more than 4-5 per second is really gong too fast.
NEXT, do same exercise by vibrating the larnyx with the muscles on each side. Breath in while trying to make the sound a helicopter blade would make. Then try it breathing OUT. Watch the paper movements.


like I was hoping it was some little trick
that I didn't know about and once I learned that simple little trick I would
have TB over night. Looks like I'm going to have to stay out in the wood
shed on this one for a while.

*Tongue blocking can't be explained any farther than it is. Basically you are blocking holes/notes with your tongue. Can be left, right, middle, a little shy of middle either direction, not at all, or if you don't want to make ANY sound....totally.

I have made a little progress in the last month or so though. The thing is
that where I'm seeing progress, where I hear it, isn't a result of following
the basic principal of the inhaled machine gun effect.

*Easier to use the helicopter (Jaw) vibrato on the inhaled notes. The abbreviated "machine gun" sound is HARSHER attack than you want to be at. Soften it like a singer would.


Instead, I've had
better results by opening and closing my nostrils. This involves the throat,
I know, but higher up, in the septum actually. The result sounds more what
I'm trying for. When I do this my tongue is almost flat on the "floor" of
my mouth. I -for lack of a better word- flutter my septum open and closed.

* This is very close to what I'm talking about.


I don't know if this is what I should be doing but it's giving me at least
something like what I'm shooting for.

* That's the wonderful thing about mouth harp. You can NEVER run out of experiments. (No one has YET).

Sam Blancato, Pittsburgh







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