RE: is this right?

[Jack Ely <SYS_ELY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    >once again..opinions from you great guys are needed....
    >i can't always get a clean tone from my playing. however,
    >i bend my harp upwards, almost covered by my upper lips, and i found that
    >this produces a more accurate tone. it also eliminates the leaking of
    >air. is this technique right? <...del...>
    
    >-cheng ann
    
    Hi Cheng Ann,
    
    	I use the "tilting" trick to show new players struggling with playing 
    a single note that they really CAN produce a clean, clear single note with 
    no leakage. I learned this from my friend Don Allen - and I think I 
    mention it in my diatonic tips in the HarmoniGopher.
    
    Anyway... 
    
    1. You put the harp in your mouth, covering three, four or however many    
       holes you can.
    2. Relax your lips.
    3. (take a deep breath) Blow a chord - all the notes you can.
    4. While blowing this chord, slowly tilt the harmonica upward.
       (You are tilting the holes down - toward your lower lip)
    5. Notes will drop out, eventually leaving one, clear note.
    
    Why? Well, I think this works because the tilting upward with lips relaxed 
    forces your lower lip to form a little "V" right in the middle - which 
    will allow air to only pass through one hole. At this point your 
    embouchure is formed by the harmonica and the "V" in your lower lip - your 
    upper lip has little to do with it other than help support the harmonica. 
    At first you don't know which hole will end up playing - and it dosen't 
    matter for my demonstration purposes - but you can soon learn to control 
    this.
    
    I do *NOT* recommend this as a normal playing position - although I have 
    noticed that Howard Levy tilts his harp up slightly. Hmmmm?
    
    I realize you know how to do this but I tried to explain it above so 
    others might try it if they want. Others; If this dosen't work I haven't 
    explained it clearly.
    
    P.S. My personal reply I never sent had nothing to do with harmonica.  :-)
    
          Jack Ely - Columbus, Ohio              SYS_ELY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx