Re: [Harp-L] What happens when bending

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

This is the sort of first-hand evidence that's needed.

However, because something moves does not mean that it's an agent. It may simply be pulled or pushed along by the prevailing winds.

It's interesting to read how different the experience of players is when they bend. What to make of these varying experiences and conclusions?

Beyond what seems reasonable from personal experience and observation (including mine), distinguishing what moves from what is actually making the note bend requires understanding of both anatomy and physics. it'd be nice to see a thorough investigation using multiple players, full vocal/respiratory tract ultrasound, etc., followed by a detailed examination of the physics.

Winslow 

Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5


--- On Mon, 10/6/08, Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] What happens when bending
> To: "Harp-L" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Monday, October 6, 2008, 2:23 PM
> In 2002 I served as guinea pig for a group of medical
> researchers in  
> the ear, nose & throat department at Hamburg University
> Hospital who  
> were investigating wind instruments. They stuck an
> endoscopic camera  
> through my nose and down into the throat in order to film
> the larynx  
> and pharynx from above while I played. An external camera
> with sound  
> recording filmed neck and head from the side. On the
> resulting video  
> it's possible to observe both bending and vibrato from
> inside the  
> throat. On the basis of this material I would say that
> although the  
> middle part of the tongue (which we couldn't flm at the
> same time)  
> clearly must play an important role when bending, the
> activity  
> definitely continues right down into the pharynx. The vocal
> folds  
> also play a much greater role than I had anticipated in
> articulating  
> individual notes as well as creating vibrato. I will be
> including  
> excerpts from this film in a forthcoming instructional DVD,
> 
> Steve
> 
> Steve Baker
> steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> www.stevebaker.de
> www.bluesculture.com
> www.youtube.com/stevebakerbluesharp
> 
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