Subject: [Harp-L] chromatic lip blocking tension problem

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

quoting Boris:
 
"Any ideas how to hold chromatic in a mouth with 100% relaxed  lips?

-- 
Thanks, Boris Plotnikov"
 
Hi Boris. Since I'm no pro nor a tongue-blocker and couldn't come close to  
how you play but based on a lot of what I've heard from some of the better  
chromatic players at SPAH and on Slidemeister (including Smokey Joe Leone), 
the  best way to be 'relaxed' with a chromatic is not to shove it deep into 
your  mouth the way you would a diatonic or even hold it 'in' your mouth. A 
chromatic  was never designed to be played that way although some people I 
know  achieve double stops by this method, changing their mouth position on 
the  instrument several times during a tune.
 
 
 
 
Smokey has commented that if one were to hang a chromatic from the ceiling  
on strings--and walk up to it to 'kiss' the instrument--that's as much 
effort  and air one needs to use to play. He's a long-time tongue-blocker on 
both  chromatics and diatonics. (A good example would be to watch old videos of 
 Douglas Tate play).


 
 
I have a severe TMJ dysfunction so Smokey's method makes absolute sense to  
me --I can't play deeply with any harmonica so have had to adapt my style  
accordingly...simply resting the instrument on my lower lip and closing the  
inside of my lips around the note I'm playing to get clean single notes.  
It's lip 'blocking' rather than lip 'pursing' and serves me quite well. I've  
noticed many other players use a similar method but mine is an adaptation 
to my  physical problems. My jaw isn't strained doing so no matter how long I 
play  whereas attempting tongue-blocking with tilting and lip coverage of 
the cover  plate leaves me exhausted and unable to play (or talk) after only 
a few  minutes.
 
 
 
 
Hope this helps a bit, but if not--you might wish to visit Slidemeister at  
_www.slidemeister.com/forums/_ (http://www.slidemeister.com/forums/)   or 
_www.slidemeister.org_ (http://www.slidemeister.org)  since there  are many 
such discussions and chromatic players from around the World who will  be 
only too happy to give you their input. Many of the discussions center around  
making the chromatics as air tight as possible so the instrument can be  
played totally 'relaxed'.
 
Best, Elizabeth