Re: [Harp-L] In the moment

[icemanle@xxxxxxx]

 you just discovered the power of "not thinking about it". You removed yourself from the equation and followed the sound.


Maybe this experience loses something in the translation into words, but the strange thing was that after I stopped playing the split interval I never consciously decided that I would continue to tongue block.  It just happened at that moment without my thinking about it.  The SOUND I was producing made me do it without me deliberately deciding to do it.  Almost sort of a mystical experience.  And it sounded pretty good on that tune.  Go figure....?

 


 


 

-----Original Message-----
From: John F. Potts <hvyj@xxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, Sep 5, 2009 3:52 am
Subject: [Harp-L] In the moment









I a mixed embouchure player.  I can tongue block, but I usually pucker and only use tongue blocking for playing octaves and other split interval double stops.  I slide back and forth between those techniques frequently as I playing. I usually pucker for single notes, use tongue blocking for split intervals and rarely play any chords.?
?

Last night I was playing an outdoor gig.  On one tune, I was getting a particularly nice resonance from a split interval and when I moved back into playing  a melody run of single notes, I found myself still tongue blocking and I continued to tongue block through the rest of the tune without thinking about it.  It almost as if my ear told me it sounded better at that moment so go ahead and do it.  Almost  non-volitional. This has occasionally happened before, when i would unconsciously continue to tongue block for a little while after coming out of a split interval back into single note playing, but it never has continued over such a sustained period  of time before.  Funny what happens when you  are completely in the moment and playing unconsciously during a performance.  Sort of weird.?
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Deep embouchure is important for good tone production, but I not a player who believes that tongue blocking is the only way to get superior tone.  However, a clear advantage of tongue blocking is that it allows the player  to get the holes of the harp deep into the mouth past the teeth which makes for a nice, full unobstructed resonance chamber.?
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Maybe this experience loses something in the translation into words, but the strange thing was that after I stopped playing the split interval I never consciously decided that I would continue to tongue block.  It just happened at that moment without my thinking about it.  The SOUND I was producing made me do it without me deliberately deciding to do it.  Almost sort of a mystical experience.  And it sounded pretty good on that tune.  Go figure....?
?

JP?
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