[Harp-L] Re: Standard embouchures... my method of discovery for beginners (kinda long)

[Warren Bee <wbharptime2@xxxxxxxxx>]

When I get a raw beginner with no bad habits or clue about single notes
this is how I like to start.

Just close your eyes and breathe for a while in and out with no regard for
any "goal" other than breathing in and out not blowing and sucking. On day
one I want things to be as meditative as possible. No arrows and numbers on
paper. No primitive diagrams of "how to get single notes in different
ways." No explaining how I do it. Close your eyes and listen to how the
notes blend. Listen to how the more you open and close your "smile" as you
breath that the less or more holes make "different"music and they blend in
a little different way. EARS EARS EARS! The most important start to the
journey. Plenty of time for notetakin' picture lookin' and book learnin'
later after you pass the "Tone Road Test"

Then I introduce two terms. Real Estate and Gasket. We look hard at the
face of the harp and realize just how small the real estate is. How little
movement and a bit of precision is needed to get the job done. Then we do
some lip service. Using the mirror and the fingers to explore just how
amazingly flexible our lips are. Then the tongue same thing. Then we think
about Gaskets. We will be using our lips and tongue to create leak-proof
gaskets over single holes so we can take maximum advantage of the real
estate inside the holes. The more flesh used in the gaskets the better you
will control the real estate.This is how we will take hold of and control
of the reeds with our breath.  Again, at this point I still encourage
closed eyes and experimentation playing with the zillion gasket shapes our
lips and tongue can make. Main concept is that when you get it right you
will feel it and hear it at the same time. There are no mistakes to be
made at this point. The ears hear it all  The good the bad and the ugly.

Sorry for the wordy clunky explanation but I hope some get my gist.
Attacking the student from a different angle. Eye closed and mind wide
open. No matter what the journey on what harp. Real estate and gasket
related thoughts are critical thinking. In my book anyway.

wb