Re: How Does He Do It?



TO: internet:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Charlie Sawyer asks about Kim Wilson's split tremolo.

Note that I called it a tremolo and not a trill - trills are ONLY
between neighboring notes in the scale, like the trill between A
and B in draw 6 and 7. Anything other fast, smooth note
alternation is called a tremolo (orchestral terminology) or a
warble (blues harmonica terminology).

Anyway, so how does he do it? I don't have the record and am not
going to buy it for this one thing, but the description is clear
enough, and I experimented with some ways of achieving this
result.

Let's draw a picture of the two alternated states on a harmonica
mouthpiece, with X meaning tongue block, and A and B pictures.
What you're describing is:

 A:

      1      2	    3	   4	  5	 6	7      8      9     10
   =======================================================================
   |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
BL |	  |	 |  G	|  X   |  X   |  G   |	    |	   |	  |	 |
   =======================================================================


 B:

      1      2	    3	   4	  5	 6	7      8      9     10
   =======================================================================
   |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
BL |	  |	 |	|  C   |  X   |  G   |	    |	   |	  |	 |
   =======================================================================

I's clear that the tongue stays down on Hole 5 the whole time,
and moves on and off Hole 4, while the left corner of the mouth
is moving with it, one hole to the left.

This is called oblique motion - one "voice" stays still while the
other moves. Howard Levy likes to play Beethoven's Ode To Joy
using a tongue block to achieve oblique motion, playing a
long-note melody on the right while he moves the left side of his
tongue around to play arpeggios underneath it - just like what
Kim Wilson is doing, but more varied.

So how do you vary the width of your tongue block only on the
left side?

One way is the brushstroke method.

A painter will use a long pointy brush, touching only the tip to
the paper for a thin line, and pressing it further on to the
paper for a thicker line. The brush is soft, and spreads out
wider when pushed against the paper.

You can do the same with your tongue. In the process, your tongue
will move forward out of your mouth for the "thin line" (the "B"
part of the drawing above) and back into your mouth as it spreads
wider for the "A" part. The harp will be riding your tongue, so
will bob in and out a little.

The trick is always keeping the right side in the same place,
then working up some speed.

A second way to achieve this alternation is with a modified moving
tongue block.

The normal moving tongue block will give you double warbles (or
tremolos) on both sides of the block. For instance.


 A:

      1      2	    3	   4	  5	 6	7      8      9     10
   =======================================================================
   |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
DR |	  |  G	 |  X	|  D   |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
   =======================================================================

 B:

      1      2	    3	   4	  5	 6	7      8      9     10
   =======================================================================
   |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
DR |	  |	 |  B	|  X   |  F   |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
   =======================================================================

You keep your block 1 embouchure in place and wiggle the harp
from side to side, getting a G-B warble on one side, and a D-F
warble on the other.

The modified double warble would involve letting the left side
move normally, getting a warble on that side, while keeping the
right side clamped in place.

I find the second method a little easier to pull of without
practice, but not as clean as the paintbrush method.

The third method is a modified shimmer.

Flicking the tongue from side to side creates a shimmer (my term).
This allows you to keep a middle group of holes constantly
blocked while alternating notes or groups of notes on either side
- warbling two notes, two chords, or a chord on one side and a
note on the other. It also, with very fine control, allows you to
play a warble on one side and a continuous note on the other. But
I find that when I try it, the "steady" note tends to waver a
bit, and you say this is not the sound he's getting, that Hole 6
is a continuous note.






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