Re: [Harp-L] Pucker tone

[Greg Heumann <greg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jon, I agree in general, but there is one exception I think is  
noteworthy.

In TB position, you can get a lot more of the harp in your mouth. This  
in turn makes it much easier to block all the other holes on the front  
of the harp with your hands and face. That in turn leads to deeper,  
darker tone when cupped, either acoustic or amplified, than can be had  
if air can escape out the front of the harp. I acknowledge that this  
style is not always used but it is a legitimate technique with a  
distinct tone, and I don't think it can be duplicated in pucker  
position. Although I switch between TB and pucker a lot, there is no  
way personally I can block all the front holes at all in pucker  
position.

/Greg

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> From: Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: February 15, 2010 6:13:41 AM PST
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [Harp-L] Pucker tone
>
>
> Ev630 writes:
>
> "Doesn't
> matter the genre, the point is that you can't get the same bassy  
> tone when
> doing lots of that lip pursing and whistling through the harp, so  
> you need
> effects."
>
> I think that is a fairly blanket statement with no real support.   
> There have been plenty of people who get the traditional tone  
> puckering over the years (I'm not sure, is Butter's tone tradition,  
> bassy or fat?  I can think of a lot of people here who would say yes  
> to all three).  I think it's noteworthy that Jerry Portnoy in fact  
> teaches pucker for the first three holes and tongue-block from there  
> up in his great "Masterclass" CDs.  I think it's a fairly safe  
> assumption that this is the technique he uses, and I hear no  
> significant change in tone between his pucker playing and his tb  
> playing.
>
> Now, can you play very fast stuff and have the same type of tone is  
> another question.  Sugar Blue has a tone more similar to someone  
> like Ricci's, IMO, and he tongue blocks (showing that you can play  
> fast and tongue block).
>
> I would argue it's a difference in playing technique (fast and high  
> verses slow and low) and not a difference in embouchure.