[Harp-L] Re: putting my money where my mouth is - the importance of sealing the front of the harp

[Ray Beltran <raybeltran@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

'Bout 12 years ago at a MasterClass, I approached Mark Hummell and  
asked him why he had the harp on the side of his face. He said he  
didn't know what I was talkin' bout. I explained it to him, he checked  
himself, and said, "Oh yeah... I guess I do."

I began to incorporate it into my technique, and the advantages were  
immediately obvious.

Here's a video of it in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3A2xFZH7EU

I'm utilizing the technique in a dynamic manner depending on the tone  
I'm trying to achieve for a particular part of the solo or note,  
sometimes even opening my grip altogether.

Ray.
--
www.resgraphics.com/music
www.myspace.com/bluemax503

On Apr 5, 2009, at 4:49 PM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Message: 6
> Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2009 14:24:58 -0700
> From: Greg Heumann <greg@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] Re: putting my money where my mouth is - the
> 	importance of	sealing the front of the harp
> To: "John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Message-ID: <8AD51B68-713D-4ACF-A81A-2B1F4D821F43@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
>
> John, I'm not sure what you're saying but certainly if the top holes
> are sealed against your cheek, that's just as good. You don't have to
> use your thumb. On the other hand if moving your thumb away doesn't
> change something, and those holes are now open, then there is a
> problem elsewhere with the seal on the front of the harp. There is a
> real physical effect here. Imagine a microphone a few inches in front
> of a small speaker in free air - contrasted with the same setup only
> with a cone around both making an airtight seal. In one case, the
> sound pressure level is considerably lower. When you truly seal all
> holes on the front of the harp, you can feel it on your hands, and if
> you're playing amplified, you just drive the crap out of the mic
> element. It DOES make a difference and instant changes your tone, with
> no change in embouchure.  Now I'm not saying everyone should play this
> way all the time. I'm just saying if you haven't experienced this
> "sealed, direct coupled" approach then you're missing something very,
> very cool. It really, honestly does matter, and the front of the harp
> must be completely sealed. It works amplified or acoustic.
>
> So I recorded a couple quick YouTube videos to demonstrate what I'm
> talking about:
>
> Acoustic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRPaAyDTF5c
>
> Amplified: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrAzDHiNw94
>
> FULLY sealing the front of the harp DOES matter.