Re: [Harp-L] tilting the harp

[Music Cal <macaroni9999@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Joe

But I do get better tone and reed response when I place my chrom deeper in
my mouth and tilt it.

MusiCal


On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 12:08 PM, Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> DO NOT insert chromatics deep into your mouth. No matter what anyone tells
> you. All you need is to seal the connection. Technically, you should be
> able to hang a chromatic from the ceiling by two strings, step up to it,
> and without using any hands, place the lips upon it and be able to play
> notes. That's IT. Diatonics are different.
>
> smokey-joe
>
> On Oct 10, 2013, at 2:14 PM, Music Cal wrote:
>
> > One of the problems that I have with putting my chromatic harp deep in my
> > mouth is that it tends to result in more frequent abrasion/irritation
> near
> > the corners of my mouth. I have found ways to cut down the frequency of
> > these - mostly be make sure the harp is really clean in key places - but
> I
> > have not eliminated them entirely. Any tips?
> >
> > MusiCal
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 8:19 AM, The Iceman <icemanle@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> >> It would be nice to somehow remove the word "pucker" from harmonica
> >> pedagogy.
> >>
> >>
> >> The word suggests to the student to purse the lips and tighten muscles.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >> To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> >> Sent: Wed, Oct 9, 2013 10:54 am
> >> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] tilting the harp
> >>
> >>
> >> There are a couple of good reasons to tilt the back of the harp upwards
> >> when
> >> puckering:
> >>
> >> In order to get a full tone with a pucker, the active element (the reed)
> >> needs
> >> to be in close proximity to the passive element (air column in vocal
> >> tract). The
> >> only way to do this is to take the harp well inside the mouth. As Boris
> >> rightly
> >> pointed out, to get the tone on lower notes, the upper lip needs to
> >> enclose the
> >> top cover to about 2/3 of the distance towards the back. The corners of
> the
> >> mouth need to be in contact with the harp to prevent air loss. If you do
> >> this,
> >> how do you ensure that the lip opening is still small enough to enable a
> >> single
> >> note?
> >>
> >> To obtain a single puckered note with this degree of lip enclosure, the
> >> player
> >> extends the lower jaw forwards, in the process enlarging the resonance
> >> chamber
> >> in the vocal tract. If you then place the harp between your lips, the
> >> extended
> >> lower jaw automatically means it will tend to be tilted up. In fact, if
> you
> >> don't tilt, you'll most likely be unable to play a single note with this
> >> lip and
> >> jaw position. The tilt effectively reduces the size of the lip opening
> >> while
> >> allowing the player to take the harp deep inside the mouth.
> >>
> >> Steve Baker
> >> www.stevebaker.de
> >> www.european-music-workshops.com
> >> www.harmonica-masters.de
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>