Re: [Harp-L] U-blocking

["G. E. Popenoe" <gpopenoe@xxxxxxxxx>]

Try bracing the curl against by pressing the mouth piece rather than the
lips.

On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 12:11 AM, Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> I thought Robert had emailed me offlist, so I answered him duly. I then I
> sent him another...her they are:
>
> I'll try it Robert, but offhand, I can't see it. If I do it 'sans harp', I
> simply can't hold the sides of my tongue up without the support of the
> corners of my mouth. Still, the mouth being such a complex group of muscles,
> I'll try to 'imagine' my way there. It has worked for other seemingly
> impossible practices.
> Thanks for taking the time to reply,
> Rick Dempster,
> Melbourne, Australia
>
> Hey Robert...I think I might have it! if I push all of my tongue but the
> tip into the pallette cavity, I can hold the 'U' with my mouth corners free.
> Still struggling, but I'm almost there. Wonder if that's what you're
> doing....?
> RD
>
>
> >>> "G. E. Popenoe" <gpopenoe@xxxxxxxxx> 23/05/2008 16:49 >>>
>  You know, I experimented with the U-block and found that the sides of the
> mouth are not needed to support the U.
>
> On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 8:42 PM, Robert Bonfiglio <BON@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Hey Rick,
> >
> > From Hong Kong now where I am performing the Villa-Lobos Harmonica
> Concerto
> > and the Sir George Martin "Three American Sketches" with the City Chamber
> > Orchestra of Hong Kong -
> >
> > Yes, I curl my tongue to play the D and play the octave A's from the
> > corners of my mouth.  Very Medieval sounding and dangerous.  Try playing
> the
> > octaves first and getting the D in the center second.
> >
> > Harmonically yours,
> >
> > Robert Bonfiglio
> > http://www.robertbonfiglio.com
> >
> >
> > On May 20, 2008, at 8:38 PM, Rick Dempster wrote:
> >
> > I didn't notice the appended post of Robert Bonfiglio's. I had actually
> >> wondered, not being a regular 'U' blocker, whether it was possible to
> play a
> >> 'double block' as Robert mentions here. Have I got this right? To play
> >> 'A-D-A', you would have to play the two 'A's respectively out of each
> corner
> >> of the mouth, then use the 'U' channel to select the 'D, blocking the B
> and
> >> the F. Now I'm not bad at tongue blocking and switching, and as I might
> have
> >> mentioned before, have found that I can convert this skill into
> whistling
> >> two-part harmonies as well. But if I try what Robert is talking about, I
> >> find that I need the corners of my mouth to support the tongue-channel
> (or
> >> 'U') Does that mean, Robert, that you can curl your tongue to form the
> >> channel WITHOUT support at the sides from your mouth??
> >> RD
> >>
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