Re: [Harp-L] U-block and Tongue-blocking

[G <gigs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 16:43:27 +0100
From: "VILLEMINOT,Christophe" <Christophe.VILLEMINOT@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] U-block and Tongue-blocking
To: "'harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx'" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Hello,
>
>1) Last week-end, I've tried to use "U-block" but it's very difficult.
>I don't understand how to do. Someone can explain me an easier way to do it
>?
>
>2) Also, When you play in "Tongue-blocking" and you have to play on the
>first or second hole, do you use "left Tongue-blocking" or "Pucker" ?
>
>Thanks
>Chris

Hello Chris,

1)  Groove tongue, what you call U-block, is where the player shapes their
tongue with both site coming up leaving a channel or groove along the
middle,  and they push this around the hole they want to play.

Anyone can shape their tongue in this manner using their lips, however this
is cumbersome and if you do that, you may as well free your tongue for
articulation and effects and use pucker. 
  But the players who are best suited to this embouchure, are those who
have the ability to shape their tongue this way without any assistance.
You've either got the gene, or you haven't.  What they can do is place
their mouth around 4 or 5 holes, and move their tongue to the hole they
want to play giving them a lot of control and speed over note selection.

2) Use what works for you.  I've seen tongue blockers who use right tongue
block all the way to hole 1, and you can see their lips and tongue -
generally such a player is used to playing on a chromatic with a wide
mouthpiece like the Meisterklass for instance, where you don't run out of
mouthpiece when TBing.

I tongue block and pucker as needed, I play both diatonic & chromatic.  I
use pucker or left tongue block for the lowest holes depending on what I'm
doing.  If you need to learn one or the other, start with the embouchure
that feels comfortable.  You can always come back later to learn the other
method.

-- G.