Re: [Harp-L] tongue roll/full-tone-bend

[G <gigs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 09:05 5/02/05 -0600, Stanley Yoder Sr wrote:
>>From: G <gigs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>I'm right handed, I use my left hand to secure the harmonica, and to hold a
>>mic, my right hand is free to add expression/cupping, and also good for
>>pushing the harmonica around for techniques like warbling.
>>Holding my head and neck still but relaxed, move the harmonica left and
>>right  to alternate which hole is being played by your embouchure
>>(pucker/lipping, tongue block).
>G. Do you move both hands together, or do you hold the harp in your left 
>hand loosely and use the right hand to sort of push it back and forth?  

My left hand follows my right hand's lead... but...

> I seem to have a problem getting my hands to want to move smoothly
together, 
>but if I use my right hand as the driver it seems to work OK.
  Thats what I was suggesting.   

There are times where having my left hand doing the driving would be
useful, so its something I continue to practice in the background.  A
professional player has told me thats what he worked on until he got it
down pat, and his warbles are very tidy indeed.

Another point here I remembered after sending my response is how the harp
is moved.  Richard Hunter covers this briefly in his book 'Jazz Harp',
where rather than thinking of moving the harmonica left and right, its
pivoted, less work, smoother transition. This is not easy to describe in an
ASCII email.

What Richard doesn't elabourate on is how its moved.  Another pro suggested
pivoting the harp (and left hand, and mic if in use) over my right wrist -
just a slight twist.

It works, less effort required, but because I'm unfamiliar with the
technique I haven't got it working smoothly as shuffling the harp back and
forward.   
So that too is something I continue to practice.

It may be worth asking professionals on this email group how they go about it.

>When I am going between , say three notes, and they are all blow or all 
>draw. I will sometimes use a roll of my tongue, as if I were saying 
>"twiddle-dee-dee".  I don't know if it is a correct way of transitioning 
>between notes but, it seems to add  variety to the song.
Absolutely.  
  Harmonica courses by professionals regularly talk about using words to
articulate notes.   I've seen various emails on harp-l and harptalk
suggesting "words" to get a particular rhythm or effect.
  There are many others on this list who definitely have more knowledge
about this than I do.  You're on the right track.

>Doyle
-- G.