[Harp-L] Re: 2 Questions from newbie ~ embouchre

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

Jeff,

	Yes, you're missing something.  The inside of the mouth just past  
the edge of the lip is in contact with and holds the harp to form the  
seal.  Because you pout your lips out forward and put the front of  
the harmonica IN your mouth, it is the area inside of your mouth just  
past the lip line that grips the harmonica.  You are basically  
wrapping your lips around the harp, so it is the INSIDE of your mouth  
just past your lips which makes contact with the cover plates of the  
harp.   Of course, the corners of your mouth stay put when you pout  
your lips forward to make a "fish mouth" so at the corners you can't  
wrap you lips around the harmonica, (which will extend past the  
corners of the mouth on either side anyway if the harmonica is of  
normal size).  So, at the corners, the front of the comb rests  
against your lip area at that location since it cannot get it in past  
the lip line.  But the rest of your lips should be OUTSIDE of the  
harmonica with the inside of the mouth just past the lip line  
gripping the harmonica and forming the seal.  Does this make sense?

If you ever watch Christelle's videos, sometimes right before she  
plays she pouts her lips out, like she's about to give someone a  
kiss. It's not necessary to do this until you actually put the harp  
in your mouth but she seems to be getting her embouchure in position  
ahead of time for some reason.

If you go to the "Harpgear" site and click on "acoustic tone"   
there's a pretty good explanation of embouchure with pictures  
illustrating what I've been trying to describe.

	JP

You asked:

Okay, maybe just me, and if it is I'd like to be informed and  
educated ~  but
"with the lips being actually not in contact with the harmonica  
except at
the corners of the mouth" is making no sense to me. How can the upper  
and lower
lips NOT be in contact with the harp "except at the corners" without
comprising  your "seal" and inviting a huge influx of air both above  
and below the
harp? Am I missing something here?
Jeff G
Denver CO



In a message dated 1/15/2009 11:18:58 A.M. Mountain Standard Time,
harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx writes:

If a lip purse player can get the front of the harp in against the
corners of the mouth, tilt the holes down slightly, drop the  lower
jaw and keep it relaxed, and produce air from the  diaphragm, ALL
notes will be easier to play, tone will be  consistently deeper and
fatter and you won't have to adjust  lip position. It also helps to
make as large an opening with  the lips as physically possible
consistent with getting a  single note, which requires that the inside
of the  mouth adjacent to the edge of the lips grip the harmonica with
the lips being actually not in contact with the harmonica except  at
the corners of the mouth--this has sometimes been referred  to as
"fish mouth".

JP