Re: pucker/tb

[Douglas Tate <douglas.tate@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 19:59 25/07/2003 -0400, Pat Missin wrote:
><snip>
>
>When I started out on the harmonica, there was nobody to tell me that
>my pucker tone should be thinner than my TB tone. As a result, they
>both sound pretty much the same.
>
>I don't doubt for one moment that some players will be able to produce
>a better tone with one particular embouchure, but I don't see that
>this means it will be true for ALL players.

<snip>

In general, during the learning process, one goes through the business 
drowning the harmonica to a decent embouchure... whichever way you do 
it.  Particularly with the TB method you feel, at first, as though there is 
a small herd of elephants trying to inhabit your mouth.
As the embouchure becomes firmer and more 'managed' so the tonal ability of 
the player using that embouchure improves.  Changing to the 'other' 
embouchure takes one back to the herd of elephants.
After a  considerable time a player who uses both will have full control of 
both.  Until that time a player can't really make a true comparison.

IMO an excellent player can make either embouchure sound equally 
'good'.  But that ain't the same as being the same tone.

Each embouchure allows you a range of tonal possibilities.
Again, only IMO,  these ranges of tone greatly overlap.  However, I believe 
that it is possible to produce ~some~ tones and sounds with TB which are 
difficult or impossible with pucker... and the opposite is also true.  (Not 
talking chords, intervals etc... just single notes.

I believe that the argument about tonal capabilities of the two methods is 
less important than a consideration of how well or poorly a particular 
method suits the style of the music you want to play.   At that point a 
player may find that it is ~necessary~ to use both methods.

Because it seems to allow me greater accuracy in continuous jumping ( a 
feature of the music I play) TB suits me better... this, of course ONLY 
considering single note playing.  TB becomes an essential when interval 
playing.

So... horses for courses ... IMO :))

Douglas