Re: [Harp-L] Can you tongue block overblow

[JohnnieHarp <johnnieharp@xxxxxxxxx>]

I asked this question as well in the last two or three months. A couple
responded that they could do it.

http://harp-l.org/pipermail/harp-l/2009-March/msg00706.html

That being said, it seems a lot more manageable lip pursing as air seems to
easily leak out of the unblocked side when tongue blocking, whereas with lip
pursing, muscle tension in the lips and mouth area prevents this.

Dennis Gruenling reportedly overblows while tongue blocking. In videos of
him on youtube, he appears to hold the harp against his right cheek which
may support the area and help prevent air leakage when applying the air
pressure required to overblow.

It may be that while some can overblow while tongue blocking, these may be
the exceptions due to oral and facial anatomy, raw ability and practice.
Similar to pro athletes that can do amazing things with a ball, bat, golf
club, etc.

It would be interesting to hear from players that can overblow while both
lip pursing and tongue blocking. Which approach is easier for them? If they
can overblow while tongue blocking, do they block to the left, right or
center/Ublock?

For most, it is likely beneficial to experiment with reed gapping, arcing,
embossing, etc. to find the set up that works best for that individual.