Fwd: [Harp-L] TB Alternatives?

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Rough comb? you don't say which model, but there are a number of
things you can do to mitigate that.

First, take a small file and round off sharp edges - probably the main
 agent in abrading the tongue.

Next, paint the surfaces with something smooth and hard. Acrylic is a
good choice and there are food-grade acrylics out there. You can also
use shellac. Using a small, pointable watercolor brush you can lay the
 coat exactly where you want and even make little swells. Careful
brush strokes will make for a smooth, gliding surface.

Smoothing the edges and surfaces of exposed reedplate "rails" can also
have a good effect on the mouth-friendliness of your harps. Break
edges with a file, then use very fine wet-dry sandpaper (600 - 1200 grit).

By the way, I agree about embouchure and tone. TOngue blocking
naturally promotes the right sort of mouth cavity that helps with good
tone, but the same mouth cavity can easily be produced with puckering
or U-block. The rest of the iar column is independent of embouchure.

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Don Whitener <whitener@...> wrote:

In another topic, Rick in Davis commented:

>   Tongue blocking affords a percussive quality, with slaps and
>   pull-offs and such, but that has nothing to do with tone, and it
>   can be emulated with other techniques.

I, as probably most people, use TB to achieve these percussive 
qualities.  However, my favorite harps have a relatively rough comb, 
and often leave me with an irritated tongue.  I would be most 
interested in learning some alternative techniques. 


_______________________________________________
Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
Harp-L@...
http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l

--- End forwarded message ---