Re: [Harp-L] Tongue blocking and speed

[Bobbie Giordano <bogio@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 06:59 PM 9/2/2006, Michael Peloquin wrote:
> I would like to add that Sugar Blue's speed (via TB) is usually not
> involving bends (more natural notes-ala high notes.) and also NO 
> overblow's ....Jason Ricci and Howard Levy's speed (via Lip Blocking) 
> involves all of the notes (often within a few minutes!)

Greetings H-Lers,

Michael makes good points, but without diminishing them, it is important 
to remember that bends and overbends are not impossible, are even doable, 
with the tongue-block embouchure.  We all know players who can, including 
probably Michael, of course!

I'm not much of a TB player, but, for what it's worth, the other day I 
experimented a little by playing the same 9-note pattern over and over on 
a chromatic, [sans bends of any sort,] aiming for accuracy, and using 
tongue-block, pucker and u-block styles.  [BTW, u-block is what I used 
most when learning to play chromatic, but these days, I usually use 
pucker and, to a lesser extent, TB.]  I should probably do the same test 
on diatonic, my usual instrument, as well, but haven't yet.

To my surprise, I felt there was hardly much difference between the 
three, except that u-block seemed the slowest of all.  And, if anything, 
between the other two techniques TB seemed actually easier to move 
smoothly, but also got sloppier more easily than using pucker as I tried 
to go faster.

However, I rather suspect that could have more to do with my lack of 
skill from not using TB as much as pucker generally, so I'm inclined to 
think I might be able [with tons of practice] to eventually play faster 
using TB than with pucker.  My reasoning for this is because I felt that 
slipping along the mouthpiece was smoother using TB than pucker [or UB, 
either.]  There is a sensation of not having to move as far to reach 
adjacent notes.  Of course, it's the same distances, but nonetheless, the 
"sensation" was there for me.

Um... I did also note it felt *easier* to get a fuller, more 'boomy' sort 
of tone with TB.  [Honest!]  ;)  But, as I implied above, I still feel my 
control of the individual notes is more precise when using pucker, which 
however might well be that undeveloped TB skills aspect again.  Might be 
interesting if others tried something similar to my experiment and also 
related their observations for comparison.

I also feel, as others have said, the term "pucker" [or even "pursed 
lips"] does not appropriately fit the playing technique it's used to 
describe.  "Lip-block" works ok as an off-shoot of "tongue-block" and 
even "u-block".  But, since true blocking is difficult using a pucker 
style embouchure, [Note... I did not say "impossible", because it is, as 
I can, and I'm sure others can, too!] perhaps simply saying this type of 
playing is "lip-style" might work better.  I guess we could even say 
"tongue-block" is also "tongue-style", but then, so is "u-block", 
no?  Hmm... maybe "tongue-style", "u-style" and "lip-style"?  I don't 
know.  Just some thoughts on the matter, for what it's worth...

On a final note, as many here know, my partner Douglas Tate was a strong 
advocate of TB and used it almost exclusively.  He once told me that, 
years ago, when he felt he was in 'his prime' as a technically skilled 
musician, he was capable of squeezing up to 14 notes into one second of 
playing.  He was then supposedly also considered to be one of the fastest 
chromatic players around... as was our good friend Blackie Schackner, of 
course!!  ;)  And, as Franz Chmel is another one today.  The diatonic 
speed demons, have been variously mentioned here already, of course.

By whatever embouchure the notes are produced, 14 notes a second sure 
seems unbelievably fast, but I can think of hearing passages by him and 
others [on chromatic and diatonic] of around 9 or 10 per second, so I 
suspect it is in fact possible.

One sort of wonders what the record might actually be?

Peace y'all!
Bobbie
<http://www.tfn.net/~bobg/Renaissance.htm>http://www.tfn.net/~bobg/Renaissance.htm