SmokeJS
185 posts
Nov 20, 2013
3:11 PM
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Working with a new teacher it's become apparent that I've developed the habit of occasionally not tilting the harp up at the back. Sometimes the culprit is slouching shoulders / head and sometimes it's a left hand grip that's become sloppy. Being aware of the problem is half the solution. Wondering if anyone has found a key or tip that might work for me. Thanks!
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shanester
575 posts
Nov 20, 2013
8:38 PM
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I wouldn't worry about it.
Focus on getting the sounds you want out of the instrument and your embouchure will fall into place over time...that's my opinion.
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"The Possum Whisperer"
Shane's Cloud
1shanester
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Brendan Power
384 posts
Nov 20, 2013
8:48 PM
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If you hold the harp in your left hand, make sure to keep your left forefinger well back on the cover plate. That will give your top lip plenty of room to cover the harp in an up-tilted position.
If your forefinger is near the front of the harp you won't be able to tilt it. That could be the reason you're reverting to a non-tilted position.
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markdc70
135 posts
Nov 20, 2013
8:55 PM
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I did a round of lessons with Richard Sleigh a few years ago, and he asked me WHY I was tilting the harp up in the rear! When I told him that was what I had learned in Jon Gindick's book (Rock n Blues Harmonica), he pulled the book from the shelf to find it for himself. He didn't come out and say that he disagreed with that advice, but it's not a technique that he uses, and he gets pretty dang good tone! ;) With that in mind, I think your tone is much more dependant upon your mouth/jaw positioning and your lung/diaphram/throat workings.
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mojojojo
137 posts
Nov 20, 2013
11:45 PM
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Tilting is a lot like upper octave.....mostly a mental challenge. You think it won't sound cause it will be buried in your lower lip. Then you slide it up and down and realize there's a natural hole/gap in the middle...and it sounds awesome!
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MindTheGap
58 posts
Nov 21, 2013
12:47 AM
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I use and like this tilt idea, I think it helps keep your embouchure relaxed.
But 45 degrees? Really? Even with my left forefinger right at the back edge the harp I have this nose thing that gets in the way.
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The Iceman
1281 posts
Nov 21, 2013
5:44 AM
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It's best to learn this efficient technique when starting out.
Those that are approaching it later in their development are running into the problem of undoing ingrained habits and relearning how to approach the harmonica.
This is not easy, but is well worth the effort. However, what happens is that soon you will "fall asleep at the wheel" and revert back to old habits if you are not constantly awake and in the moment while you are playing.
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The Iceman
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Harpaholic
437 posts
Nov 21, 2013
7:22 AM
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What Jon Gindick lesson is that on? What is the purpose of this technique? I too learned from Gindick lessons and don't remember this? I don't recall Dave Barrett mention it and have never seen a player using this technique? Is it just for octaves? How common is it?
I personally don't find it useful or necessary.
Last Edited by Harpaholic on Nov 21, 2013 7:50 AM
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harpwrench
727 posts
Nov 21, 2013
7:32 AM
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Everyone's face is different, some like the tilt and some don't. I don't remember seeing the tilt in any photos or videos of BW, LW or SBII.
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Harpaholic
439 posts
Nov 21, 2013
7:46 AM
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Ditto! I've seen a few tilt it side to side but not front to back. I'm going to experiment with it to see if it has a negative effect on tone.
Is the technique 45 degrees?
Last Edited by Harpaholic on Nov 21, 2013 7:52 AM
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MindTheGap
60 posts
Nov 21, 2013
8:08 AM
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Here is one of JG's lessons showing the tilt, and he mentions it as part of the general embouchure. But 45 degrees? More like 20.
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SmokeJS
186 posts
Nov 21, 2013
10:08 AM
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David Barrett calls it the tilted embouchure. In his First Lessons book there's a demonstration photo and I'd say that harp is tilted even more than 45 degrees. So I wasn't surprised when my teacher mentioned it as I thought it was accepted good technique. But requires diligence I've yet to acquire.
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WinslowYerxa
423 posts
Nov 21, 2013
10:48 AM
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What Harpwrench said. None of the tone monsters we all admire tilted the harp, and books don't mention it before about 1995. Players seem to have gotten along fine without it in the preceding 150 years.
I personally don't see the value in this technique. I can see it as a way of getting a single note with a pucker if you're having trouble with it, but beyond that it seems like an un-needed complication.
Accepted good technique? By some and not others. I try to have a central technique that works for all the different types of harmonicas that I play. Tilting would be a bad technique for for double-reeded harps as it would tend to block the bottom row of holes. It would also be bad for bass harmonica or chord, as it would shift the weight of the instrument in a way that would cause hand and arm cramps.
If tilting works for you, fine. But teaching it as a needed component for good playing is simply cluttering up the student's learning process.
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Winslow
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harpdude61
1885 posts
Nov 21, 2013
11:04 AM
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If you are a lip blocker with totally relaxed mouth and facial muscles the tilt is a must. You are blocking the unused holes with lower lip. If you hold the harp level you must use the kissy shape and the holes are blocked with the corners of your mouth which takes more work.
The tilt allows you to drop the jaw more and open the throat which helps with richer tone.
The tilt is also more ergonomic with air flow. What happens is you aim the centerline of the hole in the harp, toward the center of the throat. Draw or blow, you get more bang for the buck.
Not dropping the jaw or not opening the throat defeats the purpose of the tilt. Imagine sitting up and almost falling asleep and your jaw drops slightly open. So relaxed. Now place the tilted harp into the natural fitting position and play two hole draw.
You will be amazed at the richness of tone and the control you have over pitch. If the tilt is not a natural fit, then the player is using facial muscles and has a completely different style.
I would say my harp is at 45 degrees. The upper lip is flush or slightly past the front of the harp.
No problem switching between lip blocking and tongue blocking.
It just seems the natural fit to me, LBing or TBing. Try playing a two hole draw and use the "kuh" sound from the throat for bending. You will be amazed.
Again, I must emphasize, if you have not learned to drop the jaw and totally relax every muscle from the nose down, plus throat and diaphragm, your results won't be as good and it won't feel as natural.
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harpdude61
1886 posts
Nov 21, 2013
11:14 AM
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WAtch Jason at 6 minutes in this video. You can see the tilt with high end first position blow bends. The tilt style is great for controling pitch on blow bends.
Many will agree that it makes the difference in ease with overblows and overdraws as well.
Just because someone from the past or present with a big name doesn't use the tilt style, doesn't make it wrong. It may not be for you, but you may find it opens a world of possibilities not otherwise available.
If I were a new player I would give it a fair chance. Level seems logical but there is a drop from your front lips to the back of your throat. Tilting seems like the natural way to me.
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harpdude61
1887 posts
Nov 21, 2013
11:15 AM
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MP
3003 posts
Nov 21, 2013
11:19 AM
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I do it but I doubt it matters much. I just sorta fell into holding it that way. there is a video of steve guyger demonstrating position playing and not only is he holding the harp w/out a tilt but he is tongue blocking w/ very little of the harp in his mouth.
Whatever works. I'm not sure if there are bad habits in the embouchure department as long as the end result is satisfactory.
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Last Edited by MP on Nov 21, 2013 11:24 AM
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harpwrench
728 posts
Nov 21, 2013
11:21 AM
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I didn't mean to imply it's wrong to do it because the greats didn't FWIW. Just sayin' it ain't wrong NOT to do it. JMHO
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The Iceman
1284 posts
Nov 21, 2013
11:58 AM
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I find the 45 degree tilt up to be a more ergonomically correct fit of harmonica to mouth.
Not only does it eliminate that straight on reaching for the harmonica with your lips pucker, but it also eliminates unnecessary muscle tension in your mouth.
Also, the design of a harmonica (except one custom style cover plate that actually adapted to the way your lips connect with the harmonica) is basically the same on the lower and upper cover plates. In other words, one could easily switch lower and upper plates around and it would feel the same.
The mouth on a harmonica is not naturally geared towards this perfection/same upper and lower orientation.
Tilting upwards works more naturally with the shape of the lips on a harmonica...or find one of those custom upper cover plates that have a different shape to them than the lower one so the mouth can fit comfortably straight on.
Ergonomics is a new concept, so even though chairs have been recently designed to support the body in a more natural configuration, this doesn't change the fact that for many hundreds of years chairs were not designed to fit the body so well, and yet all that time people still sat in them.
So, the fact that the OMs (Old Masters) didn't tilt the harmonica up and still played well is a similar scenario.
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The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Nov 21, 2013 11:59 AM
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harpdude61
1888 posts
Nov 21, 2013
1:54 PM
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"Not only does it eliminate that straight on reaching for the harmonica with your lips pucker, but it also eliminates unnecessary muscle tension in your mouth."
Exactly what I was trying to say Iceman. The tilt fits naturally and does not create a need to shape the mouth and lips (using muscles).
If you hold the harp level, the thickness of the front of the harp does not fit the corners of the mouth.
Thus the need to shape the lips to make things feel correct.
If you tilt the harp, the top bend radius just above the holes fits perfectly into the corners of the mouth with nothing but a relaxed, natural shape needed.
Think of it as putting a square table in the corner of a room to get it out of the way. If you put the corner of the table in the corner of the room, it is a more natural deeper fit.
No comments much but I do think that the center of the hole aimed at the center of the air supply is more ergonomic and efficient as well.
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harpwrench
730 posts
Nov 21, 2013
2:49 PM
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My mouth isn't shaped like yours, my teeth are probably wider. To get a single note as you do would require tension in my lip muscles. Maybe that's why straight in and TBd fits me better. I don't see how pointing the face of the harp down 45 degrees is aiming it towards the throat? Mine is straight back. BTW Sonny Terry tilted his harp radically. But the other direction.
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harpdude61
1889 posts
Nov 21, 2013
2:55 PM
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Maybe so harpwrench. If I level my harp my tone thins and takes more effort to hold the volume??
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nacoran
7358 posts
Nov 21, 2013
2:55 PM
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Clearly, optimum angle in 90 degrees. If you can get the back of the harmonica to blow directly into your nose, circular breathing becomes a snap! :)
--- and, we're back
Actually, I do tilt a little, but I think it's more because it lets me hold my thumbs a little higher on my face which gives me a better seal on my chin, since I don't have one of those chiseled chins. It is also useful, because like lots of harp players, even although it's bad for breath support, I often lean forward in moments of intensity- climatic bends, flourishes, etc. and the angle keeps the harp aimed more at the mic (when I'm not holding the mic.)
Which brings me to an actual question, a survey... are you an angler, or a parallel to the grounder, and are you a electric (holding the mic) or an acoustic (standing with the mic in front of you) style player? I wonder if your choice in angle depends on the sound you are going for.
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Frank
3329 posts
Nov 21, 2013
3:43 PM
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I notice too that my teeth are often open wide when I play... My main style is TBing and a tilt is not necessary, but I naturally use a tilt when strictly LBing.
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Barley Nectar
192 posts
Nov 21, 2013
5:28 PM
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I don't tilt. I just tried it though. I feel the difference in sound is due to the fact that sound is hitting your ears differently. You can hear it better so it sounds better to you. I see no need to tilt...BN
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Nov 21, 2013 5:29 PM
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boris_plotnikov
895 posts
Nov 21, 2013
11:48 PM
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When I started playing harmonica in 2001 I read somewhere to keep harmonica straight, perpendicular to teeth, parrallel to floor and tried to keep this position for first two years or so. Finally I was unhappy with my feel and results and I started learning tongue blocking. Next 4-5 years I tongue blocked almost 100% (although I wasn't a big blues fan). Then around 2007 I decide to learn overbends, but for me it worked only with lip blocking. I experimented for half a year and was unhappy as my lips got tired with lip block. Occasionally while practicing I tilted harp around 20-40 degrees and voila! My lips get 100% relaxed. Then I noticed that almost all players with good technical abilities tilt harps. Howard Levy, Jason Ricci, Chris Michalek, John Popper (a bit less tilt), Brendan Power, Steve Baker, Dave Barret.
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boris_plotnikov
896 posts
Nov 21, 2013
11:49 PM
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My next experience with my students show me that if before tilting when I taught to keep harp straight it took around 2-4 weeks to get single note now with tilting can get single note at the very first lesson, maximum the second one. If I get some guys from another teachers with straight position, I recommend them to tilt harp and their tone become better and more controllable.
Have to note, there're some exceptions: JJ Milteau, Adam Gussow, Alex Paclin. All of them keep harmonicas straight.
I have to say the same as Brendan told if you hold harmonica with left hand it's important to put index finger on the very border of coverplate to leave enough place for your upper lip.
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Excuse my bad English.
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MindTheGap
63 posts
Nov 22, 2013
1:46 AM
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These are great insights from the teachers who of course see many students. But this insistence on 45 degrees? We learners need precision :-)
Here is a video from Steve Baker - an Emperor of Tone in my book - who helpfully at around 1m 30s turns to show his profile and gives it some wellie.
I've done the analysis so you don't have to and it's less than 20 degrees.
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boris_plotnikov
898 posts
Nov 22, 2013
4:25 AM
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I don't move my jaw the way Steve does. I can but for me it add extra tension.
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Excuse my bad English.
My videos.
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harpdude61
1891 posts
Nov 22, 2013
7:15 AM
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I agree with Boris...If you tilt the harp the mouth/lips/jaws/face should go 100% relaxed. I don't know if it is the angle the air hits the hole or what but I was able to get overblows from the first time I tried with the tilted harp.
If you have played awhile and try to tilt now, my guess is you would have to retrain your muscles. Old habits are hard to break and it won't feel natural.
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Stevelegh
873 posts
Nov 22, 2013
9:11 AM
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Personally, I was introduced to tilting the harp by the good people here. I wanted to move away from tongue blocking, but found the aching facial muscles and catching of my inner lips on my ratty snaggle teeth (I'm English, what can I say?) too much to tolerate. I was considering dental work to smooth my teeth out.
Tilting the harp removes the need to employ facial muscles.
Personally, I can't recommend this method enough.
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dougharps
475 posts
Nov 22, 2013
9:51 AM
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Being self taught, before most books and other print and internet information became available (other than the brochure that came with the harp), I had not heard of this tilting concept.
I started messing around playing melodies on a G chromatic at age 11. When switching to diatonic to play blues and rock after 10 years of melodic chromatic exploration I bought the Tony Glover book for diatonic. I don't recall tilting being one of his many, occasionally questionable, recommendations.
I am primarily a lip blocker, though since the '90s when I heard William Clarke I have frequently played octaves, chords, and splits on chromatic and diatonic as part of my approach. I decided to learn tongue block single notes a few years ago (after Deak's encouragement), and I continue to work on it intermittently. I have learned to bend tongue blocked single notes now, though not as well as I would like. I will continue to work to add tongue block to my arsenal.
ANYWAY - I just checked my lip block approach with mirrors to see what I do when lip blocking, and found that I tilt between 20 and 30 degrees at most. I tried 45 degrees, and found it to be less effective for me.
So, I disagree with the necessity of learning 45 degrees. I think the degree of tilt that is optimum may be dependent on each individual mouth and facial structure.
BUT - This thread has given me a business idea! I now am planning to market a new device that clamps on the end of the harmonica. It is an adjustable protractor and bubble level, and you will be able to set the tilt of your diatonic or chromatic harp to the specific angle you desire. If your teacher insists on 45 degrees, you will have a piece of gear that will help you conform to that standard by setting the angle and keeping the bubble between the lines.
The deluxe version will cost more, but will give you an electric shock every time you deviate more than 5 degrees from the angle you have set. This will help you learn to tilt VERY QUICKLY!
I recommend that you restrict the use of this learning aid to wood shedding. It could adversely affect your stage presentation if used at gigs.
Watch for it on the For Sale thread in the near future!
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Doug S.
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harpdude61
1892 posts
Nov 22, 2013
9:57 AM
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lol..Good post Doug! I agree. The exact degree won't be the same for everyone.
Stevelegh put it in a nutshell "Tilting the harp removes the need to employ facial muscles."
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Grey Owl
392 posts
Nov 22, 2013
10:12 AM
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@Doug, Man I'm in for some severe frontal-Lo-lipomy therapy. I tilt the harp down at around 10-20 degrees and lipblock with my top lip. Still trying to figure out why I don't play as good as Sonny Terry following the Harpwrench comment above.
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Last Edited by Grey Owl on Nov 22, 2013 10:32 AM
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The Iceman
1289 posts
Nov 22, 2013
10:27 AM
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The 45 degree angle up works for me personally.
In teaching, I start the student with constant reminders to tilt up 45 degrees.
When they become consistent and play everything with an upward tilt as base line, I don't insist they stick to 45 degrees.
As long as the upward tilt is ingrained into their playing habits and works for them, I don't measure with a protractor.
Starting at 45 degrees helps them settle at some angle as they slowly slip back towards head on orientation.
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The Iceman
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dougharps
476 posts
Nov 22, 2013
10:31 AM
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@Grey Owl
You must not be a "wet" player, or you would spend more time tapping your harp to clear the reeds than actually playing!
________________________________
A am a strong supporter of encouraging people to try all kinds of techniques to find what works for them. Tilted up, tilted down, upside down, angled, pursed/tongue blocked/u-blocked, sealed against your face, wide open, whatever... I do discourage people from soaking their unsealed Marine Bands (and other wood comb harps) as Tony Glover suggested (to tighten them up and make them play better). It only works for a short time before you shred your lips. Then you razor cut off the tines, making soaking a requirement to play, then you quickly wreck your harps. Ah, the '70s...
But it is good that there are sources like this, and instructors and players that pass on approaches that have worked for many. If you haven't heard of an approach, you might not try it except by accident.
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Doug S.
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nacoran
7364 posts
Nov 22, 2013
10:32 AM
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Dougharps, that's funny... one of the ideas for harmonica bling I've always wanted is a harmonica with a built in level. (I think looking at an plastic comb reminds me a little of a level to start. That's why the idea popped in my head in the first place.) I've always been sort of fascinated by old tools, and hidden functions. I also want one with a compass built in (that one, actually, wouldn't be too hard- just get an extra long comb and drill it in the end- maybe a compass on one side, a clock on the other?) Lol. Oh well. My brain works in weird ways. I guess that won't work with my magnetic covers!
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dougharps
477 posts
Nov 22, 2013
10:37 AM
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@nacoran
Didn't the Boy Scouts USA used to sell a harmonica with a compass? Maybe not...
But you don't need a level! Just make sure that you drool equally from each side of your mouth, and you will know that the harp is level!
If you used a compass with your magnetic covers, you could always find the covers...
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Doug S.
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SmokeJS
188 posts
Nov 22, 2013
3:21 PM
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Brendan Power, thanks for your left hand tip. It's helping me to at least keep the harp tilted a bit.
The 45 degrees I used in the title of this post wasn't meant to indicate a 'must do' but it does seem to have generated some consideration of a technique that might be occasionally overlooked.
If there are any who have followed the teaching of David Barrett, I'd very much like to hear how the tilt technique has worked for you in the long run.
Thanks to all!
Last Edited by SmokeJS on Nov 23, 2013 2:42 PM
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kudzurunner
4393 posts
Nov 22, 2013
4:57 PM
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I'm with Winslow's eloquent and definitive pushback on all this. He wrote the book--two of them, actually.
I've never tilted the harp or thought about tilting. But one of the great things about this forum is that it keeps your mind open. There no such thing as "always" or "never" when it comes to the harp. Or medicine, for that matter.
Think like a doctor. It's entirely possible that 98% of the population has no allergy to peanuts, or chocolate. But there are always minority trends, so to speak. There are always outliers. And we ignore them at our peril.
What I've learned from this thread is: If I'm dealing with a student who can't make a particular technique work, and I've tried several different variations on what I know, I should suggest the tilt. That just might do the trick.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Nov 22, 2013 4:58 PM
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harpdude61
1893 posts
Nov 22, 2013
6:09 PM
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kudzu... Many great teachers, players, and even pros have either spoke up in this thread or been mentioned that use the "tilt". For you to brush it off as some "if all else fails, try this" remedy is just wrong. This is much more than a minority trend.
Remember the old school guys that said lip pursing was no good or overblowing was totally not needed? Your post and others reminded me of them.
As much as I admire and respect Winslow, for him to say he "does not see the value in this technique" or "teaching it as a needed component for good playing is simply cluttering up the student's learning process" shows ignorance of the technique and close mindedness about it.
You always taught to build on what you learn from others to make the player you are. I have taken many of your lip pursing techniques from your early lessons and applied them to lip blocking. An example is the rhythmic lick by going between 2 hole draw and 123 draw chord.
You are a lip purser in general. You shape the mouth for the 2 hole draw and then reshape it for the 123 draw by opening the corners.
I am a lip blocker because of a 45 or so degree tilt. When I play 2 hole draw, my lower lip blocks holes one and 3. I open slightly to get the 123 chord.
It has already been stated by many that lip pursing and lip blocking are two separate techniques.
Maybe tilting or lack of it is part of the reason some players struggle with overblows and overdraws? Maybe there is something to it being the technique that allows for the most facial relaxation? BBQ Bob? Maybe it does allow for a more dropped jaw, bigger resonance chamber, and more control of air?
kudzu you may have reason to be bursting with pride. This forum was not the place that the overblow or lip pursing or lip blocking came to prominence as a viable harmonica technique, but this may be the vehicle that launches the "tilt" and what it really means to the harmonica world. Sure people have suggested it, but I have never heard the reasons behind it like I have in this very thread.
As with TB vs. LP, no one is saying you can't play great and even at a pro level if you don't.
Based on the merits of the tilt as described in this thread, it deserves a chapter in any harmonica instruction book.
I read a lot about pursers on this forum that play very well but retrain themselves from scratch over a long period of time to be 100% tongue blockers. Many are thrilled with the results. The "tilt" may be the next big thing in the harmonica world with great players retraining muscles to add it's advantages to their arsenal.
Lip blocking/harp tilters are here in numbers! Let our voice be heard!
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Frank
3357 posts
Nov 22, 2013
6:24 PM
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David Barrett has been teaching the tilt and having the relaxed lower lip naturally create a comforable embouchure for the harmonica for decades. He has videos and books that go into detail about the benefits of using a tilt for lib blocking :)
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harpwrench
731 posts
Nov 22, 2013
6:27 PM
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I wonder if it's more of a golden melody thing? If I tilt the harp much at all, my upper lip is hanging over the edge of the top cover on a MB. I've been told I have nice lips though lol.
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didjcripey
660 posts
Nov 22, 2013
6:38 PM
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This is one of the more interesting recent threads in my opinion.
I learned as a lip purser and have incorporated tongue blocking over the past 5 or so years.
Don't want to start a fight, but I can't see significant enough difference to distinguish between lip pursing and lip blocking; I think its just a question of degree.
I can easily get single notes with the harp deep in my mouth and the lips relaxed, regardless of whether or not the harp is tilted.It would not be possible for me to have more of the harp in my mouth and still have room on the harp for my holding finger and thumb.
Sitting at the computer now, my tone actually seems a little better with the harp not tilted. Tilting the harp much feels uncomfortable for me and is even more problematic while trying to cup a mic at the same time.
Lets not forget personal variations in anatomy.
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Lucky Lester
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harpdude61
1894 posts
Nov 22, 2013
6:41 PM
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Funny harpwrench....I am a GM guy 100%..maybe the tilt is why I have trouble with the feel of playing 1 or 10 hole on a MB. The harp feels too short. After study in the mirror, my top lip does slightly hang over the front of the harp.
I feel I have good cupping technique and can hear a huge difference when I do not. I'm sure it is modified as well to fit the tilt style.
I do want to add that even though I do not side tongue block, I play plenty of octaves and splits in several positions and have no problems moving between single notes, double stops, chords, and splits. Seem to me I can feel the holes okay.
A lot to explore and discover here. I guess on those splits my tongue lays different or I use I different part of the tongue to block holes. IT feels relaxed and natural.
I gotta try one of your GMs harpwrench. Todd P. tells me I would be forever in love.
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mastercaster
27 posts
Nov 22, 2013
9:05 PM
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Very interesting discussion , learn something new everyday ....
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The Iceman
1290 posts
Nov 23, 2013
3:40 AM
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re: Kudzu and Harpdude's comments...
Harmonica technique and understanding is still evolving, even for the traditional sounds.
Just because a new revelation or idea has emerged is no reason to dismiss it as a "last resort".
After all, in bending, the Note Room concept and "bending to the floor" was a relatively new concept that I first wrote about in the early 90's and now seems to be almost common knowledge and an important aspect of teaching harmonica technique.
One problem has been that many have learned without the benefit of new information, spending years working it out for themselves, so human nature dictates that these folk may be resistant to something that expedites that process for others.
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The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Nov 23, 2013 3:41 AM
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Frank
3361 posts
Nov 23, 2013
6:37 AM
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David Barrett talks about the "tilt" in The Quest for Tone article below :)
http://archive.harmonicasessions.com/feb04/tone.html
Last Edited by Frank on Nov 23, 2013 6:39 AM
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MindTheGap
64 posts
Nov 23, 2013
7:48 AM
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Frank. Thanks for this - So far we've been talking about tilt and LP/LB but in that article is a new bit of information. David Barrett mentions in relation to TB...
"When tongue blocking, this embouchure is also desirable because the tilt of the harmonica allows you to use the broad top of the tongue instead of the tip. This makes general tongue blocking techniques like pulls and five-hole octaves much easier to achieve and in general sound better due to achieving more even coverage over the holes."
That seems to be a good point - what do the teachers (or anyone else) think about this?
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Nov 23, 2013 7:51 AM
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harpdude61
1896 posts
Nov 23, 2013
8:03 AM
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Makes sense to me MindTheGap. When I TB I don't have to reshape the tongue to cover the holes. It lays natural and relaxed. You are tilting the holes in the direction of the tongue rather than up away from it.
In my opinion it also makes the "tuh" sound by tonguing the roof of the mouth much easier.
This thread has really got me to experimenting. Like Iceman, I'm convinced this is a technique that should be explored and taught. Seems to me it gives you the best of everything.
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