Re: [Harp-L] Need encouragement!

[IcemanLE@xxxxxxx]

I came to a realization a few years ago that the word "pucker" may  hinder 
rather than help someone learning to play single notes w/out tongue.  "Pucker" 
conjures up what your mouth does when you think of lemon licking or  whistling, 
which is to distend the lips a bit and create a small hole, tensing  the 
muscles. If you focus on "narrow", you'll miss the relaxation.
 
The problem may stem from looking at the chamber hole in the diatonic and  
assuming you must make the lips conform to this very small hole. However,  
horizontally, you actually have the dimensions of the hole PLUS the wooden or  
plastic posts on both sides of the hole to work with. If you lips are  relaxed and 
the hole created is wider to include those posts, the air will still  only 
move through that single hole.
 
Taking this concept vertically, it shouldn't matter if the air passage  
created with your lips extends above and below the hole, as the cover plates are  
solid and you will still move the air only through the hole.
 
So, what I've realized is that if you relax your lips without distending  
them to reach for the harmonica, the hole you create is actually quite large  
compared to the dimensions of the single hole on the diatonic harmonica, but  
magically still produces a clean single note.
 
Add to this "breathing" rather than blowing/drawing (using the same energy  
as "humming" rather than whistling or blowing) and you create a very impressive 
 single note efficiently and almost effortlessly. In fact, it is so easy that 
you  won't believe it, which in itself is one reason this is so often missed 
by  most learning to play.
 
The Iceman
 
 
In a message dated 2/19/2008 9:45:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

If you  should try simply "puckering" to make your single notes, remember 
this ---- it  does not matter how big the opening to your mouth is when you play. 
ALL that  matters on a clear, single note is how NARROW your mouth is. You 
can open it  as far as you want vertically, what is important is how close it is 
 horizontally. 




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