TB in 30 min/day...(was IICDIAO)



Tim Moyer wrote:
"I'm now slowly working
on tongue blocking (I can't seem to make myself NOT play an octave
when my tongue touches the harp!).  It may take me a year or more to
get a reasonable tongue block embouchure (and longer to play it in
public), but I'm confident I can get there, 30 minutes a day"

Hey Tim and list,

I think a lot of the learning curve on TB how unfamiliar we all are with our
mouths and tongues- what they're doing etc. You can do a lot to help in
times away from the harp by practicing tongue movements and stuff. Try
placing your tongue tip against the back of your front teeth, and then
tapping the roof of your mouth with part of the tongue that is back of the
tip, and with each side of your tongue. You can do this driving, standing in
line, shopping etc. etc.Learn to tap in time to music, and to talk this way,
articulating "t" and "k" and "s" etc. You can even handle some of those
pesky phone calls (especially when you are unknown) by talking like this.
Your kids will love this while you're bathing them and tucking them in etc.
There's just no telling what response you'll get from intimate whisperings
to your wife using this "embouchure"...

Another fun one is to take the tip of your tongue and run it around your
mouth between your teeth and your cheek or lip. Imagine a circle completely
around that whole perimeter and travel it many times clockwise and
counter-clockwise. Divide it into quadrants, like start directly in front of
your upper teeth and move as far as you can to the right, so your tongue tip
is now between your back molars and your cheek, then go back to center, so
the tip is between front teeth and upper lip. Repeat many times, and then do
each quadrant like this (upper left, lower right and left). Then go back to
circles. If your wife, children, and friends don't already suspect you are
insane ...this will cinch it...

You get the idea, use the rest of the 23.5 hours in the day to educate
yourself as to the workings of your tongue/mouth/lips etc. Then when you
apply them to the harp for that precious 30 minutes, you might be amazed how
smart they are.

Also, take a few seconds of actual practice time to purposefully vary
things- get notes with tongue pulls, then slaps, then slap bends etc.
Practice doing rapid melodies with TB. Hold the harp way round to the side
of your face and use the side of your tongue. Play right in front and try
overblowing, etc.. Dig out some weird harps- big 364's, small vest pocket,
etc. and play a few minutes/seconds with TB on them. Again, just mixing
things up so you are honing the accuracy and requiring your
mouth/tongue/lips etc. to zero in and calibrate.....

I bet you'll be there long before a year !

Rupert Oysler
http://harprepair.com/





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