Re: [Harp-L] What happens when bending... now your nose ain't just for picking

[Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I used to study the vocal tract - to understand voice and recognition  
of people from their voices. I believe that the following points  
probably apply also to playing the harmonica & bending & overblowing &  
vibrato:
(1) Production of tone and sound is a very rapid and dynamic process  
so when people describe what it feels like to them, they are not  
accurately describing what their vocal tract is doing. This probably  
even applies to very expert people. Regarding other motor skills,  
athletes give misleading explanations of what they are doing.
(2) The same vocal (and probably harp) effects can be produced by  
different physical routes - remember how there are different ways of  
whistling?
(3) There is only limited usefulness is following someone else's  
verbal instructions about how to bend notes etc, the instuctions may  
not be accurate and are just a starting point.
(4) Speakers learn by practice and feedback - learning to hear the  
'right' results and realise that they have or have not accomplished  
them, not by following rules of how to move the vocal tract.
Bottom line aim for the effect you want, learn to hear when you have  
accomplished it and don't follow complex instructions about what bits  
of the vocal tract (throat, vocal chords, tongue, nasal cavity,  
sinuses, mouth) to move how too seriously. Harmonica is particularly  
problematic because, like voice, it resonates in the head and the  
sound you hear is not the sound projected to the audience.
Richard
On 7 Oct 2008, at 04:40, David Payne wrote:

> Rick wrote:
> "I tell them to try letting some air through their nose while they  
> are drawing. Sometimes the result is very funny, with all sorts of  
> audible 'snorks' emanating from the surprised and embarrassed  
> student."
>
>
> Now we have the nasal cavity test, just put it up.... see what you  
> think....
> http://www.elkriverharmonicas.com/sideventtest
>
> Dave
> ______________________
> Dave Payne Sr.
> Elk River Harmonicas
> www.elkriverharmonicas.com
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Richard Hammersley
Grantshouse, Scottish Borders
http://www.last.fm/music/Richard+Hammersley
http://www.myspace.com/rhammersley
http://www.myspace.com/magpiesittingdown