[Harp-L] Re: Standard embouchures

["Harmonicology [Neil Ashby]" <harmonicology@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

(Richard Hunter)->"bending mostly happens in the throat, and therefore is compatible with any embouchure".

Your assertion that "bending mostly happens in the throat" is wrong. Bending is accomplished via lengthening of the column of air via moving of the hump shape of the tongue more towards the back of the oral cavity (and for the lower notes then also reducing of the size of the hump which also lengthens of the column of air). Vibrato may be done in the throat but bending is correctly accomplished via adjustments in the oral cavity. The "Lip Block" method which seems to be the most common method for new students then automatically lengthens the column of air because of the upward angle of the harmonica as the air needs to travel some longer distance around that upward angle and therefore the "Lip Block" facilitates bending for new students.

(Richard Hunter)->"the tongue block can be used for damn near anything you can do with any of the others".

Adjusting of the length of the air column is possible but more difficult for tongue-blockers; the tongue-blockers are also making adjustments within the oral cavity.

(Richard Hunter)->"The pucker embouchure is the main embouchure used by many players [...] and therefor (sic) is not relegated to 'special effects.' ".

Nothing in my message relegates the Pucker to just special effects; students whom are now often started with the Lip Block often advance to the Pucker because other effects are more directly available using the Pucker.

/Neil (" https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004575466934 ")