Re: [Harp-L] Re: Standard embouchures

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sep 1, 2014, at 11:56 AM, Harmonicology [Neil Ashby] wrote:

> (Joseph Leone)->"The muscles in the face control it. Suction, pressure, etc."

Or..in our zeal to be so accurate that it hurts, we could be more accurate and use the word head..lower head at that. lol. 
> 
> You control your tongue with muscles in your face?

I seem to feel that way. When I move my tongue around, I can feel it all in my throat. The part right under the jaw. That saggy place on old people (like me tee hee). I was calling this the face. But then maybe this isn't accurate since that part is in the 'shadow' of the face. I'm not sure. But sometimes it shows up in photographs, so I called it face. 
> 
> Some facial muscles particularly around the lips ensure an air-tight seal (which is important for bending) but other than that air-tight seal then the bend is caused via control of muscles that are directly effecting the shape of the oral cavity.

Uh-huh, AND I feel that a pucker player, U blocker, lip blocker, face blocker, elbow blocker, would use different muscles to different extents. But they should all get along with themselves..beCAUSE they all live in/on our face/head. I'm not sure I know anyone who actually digs this deeply into it.  
> 
> Seydel has a really accurate diagram on their site showing the various tongue-positions and indicating how the front-to-back position of the hump of the tongue controls the resonance of the air column.

Yes, and having been the remodeling carpenter for a dude named Dr. Henry Bahnson, whom I had met at Children's hospt., I was aware of the work he and Dr. James Antaki were doing on this subject. One day Doc. became interested in what I was doing with a harmonica while I was playing for a bunch of children that Fred Rogers had gotten together at the hospt., and asked me a bunch of questions. I suggested that for a REAL study, he should get ahold of Howard Levy..IF he could get him. 

Seydel came along wheeey late in MY life, so whatever they say would not attract my attention. But maybe they are parrotting something that has been determined long ago. OR maybe they came up with their ideas independently? As I have said many times: "Not too much new in the harp world, most has probably been done before". Like books, studies, etc. 
> 
> BTW: throat-vibrato is _not_ any type of bend (nor is hand-vibrato).
> 
> /Neil
> 
Jo-zeppi (smo-joe)