Re: [Harp-L] Re: Problems with tongue articulation

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Eliza Doolittle wrote:

> Thanks a lot for your advice on how to solve this problem. Of course, none
> of your suggestions (yawning, U-blocking -which, incidentally, looks like
> contortionism) is working so far, but I think it's a matter of practice, so
> I hope I'll be able to play the hight notes before too long. A face-to-face
> teacher, as the Iceman suggests, would be a great solution, but I don't
> think there is a single harp teacher in my town.
>
> If I may ask, Michelle (well, or any other person here who's also played a
> brass instrument), as a tuba player, have you found any correspondence
> between that instrument and harp regarding articulation? I mean, I've been
> playing French horn for nine years, and I was wondering, for example,
> whether the way in which I am used to play staccato might be detrimental to
> the  way in which I must articulate notes in the harp (perhaps by stiffening
> my cheeks too much, or something like that).

Eliza, I was taught not to let my cheeks balloon when I played the tuba. 
That's how I play harmonica. I'm not sure it's essential to do that. I 
once asked Jerry Portnoy why he lets his cheeks balloon when playing 
blow notes. He said he hardly notices it and that it's just the way he 
played when he was first learning and that his tendency to look a bit 
like Dizzy Gillespie at times was just out of habit. I had thought it 
might enhance his resonance but he denied doing so on purpose.

For me, tongue articulations are the same as with playing a brass 
instrument so long as I am using the pucker embouchure. The whole game 
changes with other embouchures. That's why I advocate cultivating the 
ability to switch embouchures seamlessly.

As to stiffening the cheeks, I think it's bad to "stiffen" anything when 
playing the harmonica. On the contrary, I believe that it's essential to 
relax when playing. Tension is the enemy of any musician! So I would 
describe my cheeks as gently resisting expansion so as to allow my 
diaphragm to the work of controlling my air column when I play.

I hope that answers your  question.

Michelle