Re: [Harp-L] U-blocking

["john" <jjthaden@xxxxxxxxx>]

Larry and Dennis,
    I'm a u-blocker too.  U-blocking has been discussed a lot in the past (see archives) and I've chimed in then as well.  From those exchanges, I learned that there are a few u-blockers who play with a real tongue-curl, and in at least one case, with the curl very tight, just like a straw, but as you both point out, not all do, and neither do I.  There is a misconception that, if a person can't curl their tongue, then they can't u-block; this is just plain wrong.  A student I taught coudn't curl, but picked up u-blocking easily from me and really ran with it.  But, as do I, he also uses regular tongue-blocking (out of both the left and right) and lip-blocking.  I'm probably about 80% u-blocking.  
     I have a slightly different way of describing what happens with my tongue.  The way I think of it, because the tip is on the mouthpiece (or even the cover plate) below the played hole(s), the tongue simply can't block those holes, if the tongue is then pressed forward gently, it mashes up against the remaining holes, forming a relaxed U shape.  Some u-blockers tip the harp down into the U (as  many lip-blockers do into their lower lip); I don't, and I think the reason why is that my embouchure is pretty deep and I'd have to open my jaw wider (teeth further apart) to accomodate a tipped harp.
     As Larry points out, u-blockers can experience some criticism.  In past discussions, this has included strong advice against u-blocking from at least one professional player and teacher, the confirmed tongue-blocker/corner-switcher/spit-articulator Robert Bonfiglio.  Paraphrasing as best I recall, Robert felt u-blocking was inferior and unnecessary.  I argued that it provides a "third corner" (the center), without having to pull the harp partway out of the mouth (as for lip-blocking), but he didn't buy that.  Works for me, anyway.
     Speaking of articulation, I'd be interested to know you the two of you do it, e.g., produce a string of notes of the same pitch.  I use a modified "t", but made by making contact with the upper palate (edge between hard and soft) using a part of the tongue well back from the tip (The tip obviously is otherwise occupied.).  It's pretty fast, and (unlike some consonants used during lip-pursing, but much like a tongue-blocker's side-of-tongue-with-cheek articulation) it doesn't do wild things with the timbre of the note (e.g., ugly wah-like effects).
      Dennis, I agree with you that a real strength of u-blocking is how incredibly strong and controllable long notes are, particularly, the pitch of bent notes.  Bending is so darned precise, I think exactly because it does ~not~ involve tongue movements.  Larry, I have a different conception of how bends and overblows happen than your description of changes in the angle of the airflow, a conception solidified when I read 10 years ago the description of the harmonica-playing interface developed by Drs. Bahnson, Antaki and Beery (www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/antaki/articles/Bahnson%20JASA%201998.pdf).  Their device changes the ratio of the chamber volume directly behind the reed (in a human player, the mouth and upper throat cavities) to the area of the constriction behind that chamber (in a human player, formed at any of several points, understandable by thinking about the stop consonants "g" and "k", the Germanic "ch" as in "achtung", throat clearing, and gargling).  But I do agree that this ratio can be controlled quite nicely with u-blocking.  There are exceptions:  on really low harps (say from a low D down to a double-low F), I can bend deeper using lip-pursing than either tongue-block embouchure; I can overblow better while lip-pursing; and some "talked" rhythms work better lip-pursing.  I use regular tongue blocking for all non-adjacent double-stops (except when I need to block just one hole, where I use a hybrid tongue/U-block); for a lot of corner-switching, and for some tongue-slap effects, though u-blocking is great too for percussive tonguing.
     Dennis, you asked Larry for recordings or a web page.  I'd like to hear that too.  FYI, I can be heard on harp and vocals at http://mikedollins.biz on a CD entitled "Live, Love Laugh".  I had to lay the harp tracks onto bass and drums with no scratch vocals or anything else, which is rather crippling for a guy used to trying to make singers sound good live, plus, there are some weird synchrony issues with the harp track on at least one cut, but you can pretty much hear what I do.  You'll see I'm a good bit behind the times, technically, and am working hard to catch up (thanks Jason Ricci for your Youtube stuff!).  I too have wondered if I'm slowed somewhat by u-blocking vs. puckering, but it's too early in my renewed woodshedding phase to tell.
    I look forward to hearing more about u-blocking from you, and any others.
Regards,
John Thaden (ublokr)
http://mikedollins.biz
======= At 2008-05-16, 15:20:58 Dennis Moriarty wrote: =======
>Hey Larry: I'm really curious. Do you have any recordings or a web  
>page with sound samples of your playing? I u-block and my tongue (to  
>paraphrase you) also sort of naturally fits over the individual note  
>in a central to my tongue position so that it's not literally u-shaped  
>but more like a relaxed v shape. I've been doing this forever. I think  
>my strong points with this embouchure is tone and really strong long  
>single notes. On the other hand I wonder whether my lack of  
>versatility/dexterity is more relative to this embouchure or my  
>lifelong laziness with practice. I'm not being facetious either. I  
>would certainly like to improve, be less riff redundant, etc. but  
>sometimes wish I could get a teacher to drive me that played with my  
>same structural form (u-blocking) as it feels a million times easier  
>to build on my organic qualities that learn anew. My best. dennis
>http://www.myspace.com/blowintheblues

======= At 2008-05-16, 13:23:51 Larry Marks wrote: =======
 8< Snipped material about right vs. left hand playing >8
>>
>>I get tons of crap about my u-blocking, mostly from people who don't
>>play as well as I do. I have absolutely no problem playing against
>>complex changes using overblows (rarely) or valved bends (mostly). My
>>tone is not thin. I have no problem playing rapid arpeggios. I can bend
>>easily and completely. I can play softly, which you sorta have to do if
>>you want to use valved bends. As a matter of fact, I usually play softly
>>since my control of the instrument is enhanced that way. I also find it
>>much easier to cleanly tongue a staccato arpeggio using u-blocking,
>>although I expect that people who are good at traditional tongue
>>blocking will tell me they have no problem either.
>>
>>Bending and overblowing depend purely on the angle of the airflow with
>>respect to the reed, something I can control just as well and just as
>>easily with u-blocking as I could with traditional tongue blocking.
>>
>>I have tried traditional tongue blocking and I don't like it. I have
>>absolutely no reason to believe that if I used traditional tongue
>>blocking I would sound better or be able to overcome problems with
>>control. Actually, I have no problems with control to overcome at present.
>>
>>While I do not have an x-ray of my mouth in action. I can tell you that
>>I do not curl my tongue to play. The tongue already has a crease down
>>the middle. That's what I use.
>>
>>Playing well and sounding good are the only criteria. How you achieve it
>>is up to you. Technical orthodoxy is a bunch of crap.
>>
>>  -LM