RE: [Harp-L] Re: Loud?

["MLeFree" <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Our esteemed late colleague Douglas Tate described two other techniques for
playing loudly in detail in his excellent little book, "Play the Harmonica
Well."

The first has to do with the player's posture. Douglas goes into detail
about how posture can affect tone and loudness and how it is important that
you hold your body so that your airways are in a straight line. He describes
how the position of the player's arms, neck, and head can open or close the
airways, permitting or diminishing air flow and the resonance of the
player's chest, and how these in turn have direct impact on tone and
loudness.

[As an aside, I recently had the importance of the player's body as an
integral part of the wind instrument reinforced when I got curious about
Wynton Marsalis' unique trumpet (bear with me here...). I found that it was
custom made by one of the world's premier trumpet makers, David Monette. On
Monette's web site I discovered a fascinating and detailed treatment of how
a player's body interacts with a wind instrument:

http://www.monette.net/newsite/monette_concept_01.htm

The sections on "Pitch Center," "Body Use," "Resonance," and "Impedance"
translate quite well to the harmonica player. Overall, I was struck by how
well Douglas' treatment of the effects of posture dovetail into what David
Monette says about playing a trumpet. The Monette site has pages and pages
of information on body interaction--all very interesting, to me at least,
with much of it germane to playing the harp.]

As to the second technique, Douglas also describes in that same
action-packed little book how to "Play Loud, Softly" by using the hand cup
to actually amplify the sound emanating from the harmonica. He explains how
to adjust the size of the hand cup to maximize the loudness of each note.
With this technique, Douglas routinely played large theaters and halls
without external amplification, and was easily heard over the orchestra
(Robert Bonfiglio will relate how he is able to be heard over an orchestra
as well). It takes some work and practice, but believe it or not, the sound
of the harmonica can be made significantly louder by (partially) cupping the
instrument. (Google "Helmholtz resonator" for the acoustical science behind
this.)

If I could "stump" for a moment, I feel Douglas Tate's little $10 books
should be required reading for anyone wanting to "play the harmonica well."
(The other book is titled, "Make Your Harmonica Work Better," and deals with
customizing a chromatic harmonica, but it is relevant to diatonics as well.)
The two books together provide a wealth of information about the inner
workings of harmonica playing from the perspective of both the instrument
and the player. I'm not sure if or how long they will stay in print after
his unfortunate passing (Amazon lists them at this writing), but my advice
to any serious student of harmonica is to get and keep a copy of each and go
back and read them periodically. I learn/re-learn interesting and applicable
facts every time I open one of them.

Thanks again, Douglas, and I know ~you~ are playing well!

Michelle