Re: [Harp-L] technique and switching between diatonic and chromatic

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bill - 



It's difficult to address tone issues without hearing you play, and what I'm
about to offer may not be specific enough to help. But I think that there are
three things you can work on that will help with switching between chromatic
and diatonic (or any of multiple types of harmonica).



Essentially, the three things, in order, are holding the harmonica, applying it
to your mouth, and how you deliver air.



You can find methods for all three that will work with most types of harmonica.
if you can develop and employ these methods, then harp switching will become
less a matter of struggling with methods that conflict and cause problems when
you switch, and more a matter of starting from a neutral place that works for
everything, then dialing in specifics that work better for a specific harp.

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Every time you pick up a different harp, I suggest that you
follow a set of procedures that allow you to find, remember, and recall what
works for that specific harp.





HOLDING the HARMONICA



The first thing to do is to find a way of holding the harp that allows you to
comfortably hold it (arms, hands) and apply it to your mouth (side to side
angle, front to back angle, ability to get your mouth o the instrument without
interference from fingers) and to do additional tings like reach the slide
button on a chromatic, or to hold a microphone.



I have a grip that works for all sizes of harp. I always form myÂhands
together the same way. And I don't grip the left end of the harp between thumb
and forefinger. Instead, I grip the back of the harp between thumb and
forefinger and let the left end jut out. That way the harp can be four inches
long or fourteen and I can still grip it the same way, with my hands touching
just above the wrist, cupped together to shape tone or hold a microphone. On
chromatic, I can have my two hands cupped together and still reach the slide
button with my forefinger.



Your preferred grip may differ. But the point is to find something that can
work for all types of harmonica to minimize the need to make big changes in
your approach to different harps.

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PUTTING the HARP IN YOUR MOUTH

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So let's say you've got a grip that allows you to
comfortably bring the harp to your mouth. The next thing is to apply it to your
mouth and settle your embouchure.



By embouchure I mean simply what you do to get the harp in your mouth and
direct air through the holes you want to play. This involves mostly lips and
tongue, and coincidentally the jaw. The rest â shaping your mouth, throat and
so on â comes under breathing.





Embouchure is something that is specific to each type of
harmonica. The different thicknesses of different types of harmonica, together
with the size and spacing of the holes require specific adaptations. 



For each type of harmonica, I would suggest an procedure that allows you to get
acquainted with having the harp In your mouth.

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First, get the harp in your mouth and gently playing a chord,
breathing in and out and making sure no air is escaping. Then slide the harp
from side to side in your mouth. Make sure that you use only your hands, and
that your lips and jaw donât move. Make sure there is no friction or any change
in the angle of the harmonica relative to your mouth.

Â

The rest of the embouchure adaptation is slightly more
complex, because it involves the next section on breathing. I suggest that you
work with the breathing section (below) and work to develop the neutral
breathing core as you work on the next embouchure steps.

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Once youâve settled airtightness and freedom of motion, work
on isolating single notes. First concentrate on a specific hole and breath,
such as the key note of the instrument nin the second octave. Play that note,
then the note on the opposite breath in the same hole. Then work on sliding the
harp one hole to the right and one hole to the left while playing a long
breath. Then try sliding across several holes, sounding each note cleanly,
moving from hole to hole at a steady rate. Then try paying in-out breath
combinations as you move from hoe to hole. Finally, move through the entire
range of the harp playing clean single notes.

Â

Over time, you can find an efficient sequence that allows
you to either get familiar with a new harp, to quickly reacquaint yourself with
one youâve played before and recall your memory settings for that harp.

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BREATHING THROUGH THE HARP



I think there's a zone of adjustment that works for most harmonicas, a sort of
internal neutral core of good breath support and mouth/throat shaping that will
deliver decent volume, response, and tone on just about any harmonica.
Breathing gently and deeply, and keeping the mouth and throat passages as open
as possible are the foundations.



When you pick up a specific harmonica, that neutral core will produce a
workable response and tone. However, you can always focus it for the range of
pitches and maybe some specifics of reed response and air requirements (valved
vs. unvalved, double reeds, etc.).



Now let's say you focus and tailor the response for the range and reed setup of
a particular harp (such as a valved 12-hole chromatic in C), then switch to,
say, a single reed diatonic in F (no valves, higher pitch). You may find that
you have to back off the the neutral core so that whatever adaptations you made
for the previous harp don't interfere with the response of the harp you just
picked up.



You might work to identify a neutral core for yourself by consciously opening
up mouth and throat and breathing gently and deeply while you pick up different
harps and play each one in succession for only a few seconds at a time (if you
play one harp for a longer period you may start making specific
adaptations).Once you find that core and can reliably recall and employ it, you
can work on developing specific settings for various harmonicas.

Â

You get a neutral airflow by ensuring that nothing restricts
or interferes with airflow, and by making sure the airflow is gentle, yet
plentiful. Breathe from the belly. As you play a long note, make sure that
airflow is not restricted by lips on the harp, tongue, soft palate (the bit that
drops down to contact your tongue when you say âkâ and âgâ ), your glottis (the
bit that makes a polite coughing sound) or anything else. Try yawning and
notice how everything opens up to allow for maximum airflow â thatâs the ideal âfat
pipe.â

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So pick up a harp, yawn big, and then gently play a brief sequence
of notes in the middle range, then the top range, then the middle range again,
then the bottom range. Then pick up a different harp and do the same thing.
Then maybe a third harp. Each time, make sure to start from the neutral
setting.

Â

When you find you can reliably get decent response from all
harps without varying from the neutral setting, youâve got a good starting
point.



Hope this helps.



Winslow



Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5


--- On Sat, 2/21/09, Bill <bill.eborn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Bill <bill.eborn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Question for Rob P or anyone else who plays chrom and diatonic
To: Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2009, 8:19 AM

I've been meaning to ask someone who plays both diatonic and chromatic this
for a while.  I find that since I've been playing chromatic (it's only
been a few months but i'm working hard and it feels like i'm getting
somewhere with it) my diatonic embouchure is all over the place and it's had
a really negative effect on my tone and i hate the sound I'm making.  Partly
I think this was because I found I was breathing differently, so i consciously
addressed that but i have real problems adjusting between the two.  My hope when
I started to learn the chrom was that i would be able to switch between the two
but the way things are that's not going to happen as i find that i have to
practice for ages to get my diatonic technique back.  Does anyone have any tips?