Re: [Harp-L] Tongue blocking and speed

i am not as good a player as you, or any of these harp players we are referring to.
but i'm not new.

I will never understand why people assume that because I write well I play well. I have no illusions that I am either great or horrible, but since only about six or seven people on this list have ever heard me play and that was more than five years ago, the assumption must come that because I write well I can play well. Which really makes no sense to me. Thus, you may very well be a much better player than I. Which is irrelevant to this thread either way.

... i am simply stating what i believe to be true through what i've heard and
my experiences as a player have shown me.

What have you heard? If someone is playing fast (the topic in question) single-note lines is there any reason to assume what embouchure they're using by that alone? Without other evidence of specific embouchure related techniques (slaps, certain vocalisation tendencies, etc...) I see no reason to assume that a single note is produced in a particular way. And, if there is other evidence, I see no reason to assume that all notes are not produced with that technique, single or otherwise--again, unless other evidence is presented.

... i cannot offer any scientific proof of what i'm saying,, cause that's
what it's looking like it's coming down to..

No, that's not what "it's coming down to". You made an assumption: tongue blocking isn't as fast as puckering. To back this up you gave examples of fast pucker players. Others gave examples of fast players who tongue block (not just Sugar Blue). You still insist that for some reason tongue-blocking is slower. Now, if that's just your gut feeling and you don't want to explore that further, to try and rationalize it or understand why you think tb is physically slower, well there's really nothing to talk about. It's just your prejudice and your sticking to it despite the example of several fast players who play fast tongue-blocking.

all we really seem
to have here is what we believe as players, and some quotes
and statements from staunch tb'ers..

No, that's all you have. I have no logical reason why one embouchure is slower than another.

like
a silly harp-civil war.

It's a discussion. No more no less. A discussion about harmonicas on a harmonica discussion list.

...if that IS what sugar blue said,, than i guess we gotta take him for
it.. it's not unusual for articles to be marred by misquotes and other
misinterpretations, however..
when i said i have met him,, all i meant was, we did many shots,, he
got hammered,, and i'm sure said many things that might or might not
be true on that night alone, and the circumstances of that article are
unbeknownst to us.... plus he's freakin crazy.

As I have been. All of which has no bearing on the main issue. Sugar Blue is a side track. One let's avoid now.

I'm sorry i cannot offer any "proof."

There is no proof. What am asking is not even close to proof. I'm asking if you have a thesis. A reason for your assumption that tongue-blocking is slower. Your reason wouldn't be "proof" any more than my reason for not thinking such is "proof" of anything. It would be a possibility of what's going on that is put out there for people to see. No more, no less.

i rarely chime into harp-l,, although i check in almost daily.
this is just what i believe as a harp player,
musician, and music lover.
... and now there's all these streams starting from people
"switching over" and i wanted to speak my piece
as a predominant pucker player.

As someone who uses both pucker and tongue-block and occasionally u- block, I don't care what embouchure anyone uses. I do care when people say things without backing them up or giving a reason for them, especially when that enforces a prejudice which I don't see reflected in reality, ie, tongue-blocking is slower; puckering has weaker tone; u-blocking is for genetic freaks (wait...).






 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()   & Snuffy, too:)
`----'





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