RE: [Harp-L] Misc. harp questions and thanks

["MLeFree" <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx> answers one of Tom's essential questions
about bending holes 2 & 3:

First, allow me to say hey again to all y'all Harp-L'ers! I have missed
being active on the list for some months due a hiatus for major back
surgery. I'm just getting back into the groove again...

Now to expand a bit on John's answer:

> Tom,
> 	This is in response to your second question which is reproduced
> below.	To bend the 3 and 3 draw (especially on the lower
> tuned harps like G and A) requires that the player open the throat which
is
> difficult to explain,  The lower jaw should be dropped and the throat
> is pushed out in front--the Adam's apple will actually move when the
> player is doing it right.  If you are moving your tongue to bend
> (which should not be necessary if you are drawing the air from your
> diaphragm and using your throat-- but is nevertheless commonly done)
> try to have any tongue movement occur as far back in the mouth as
> possible close to the root of the tongue to get the throat muscles
> involved-- (I'm assuming that you are a lip purser, not a tongue
> blocker--if you area tongue blocker, you will necessarily be using
> the throat to bend anyway).  This requires a great deal of effort to
> learn and is initially very difficult, but once you get it, it
> becomes very natural and easy to do.   I wish I was able to explain
> the actual process of opening the throat with mote clarity, but is an
> important technique to learn and difficult to describe in words.
<snippage>

Tom, John's got it exactly right. Here's how I learned and how I describe
opening up the throat. It's basically the same action that you are familiar
with when your doctor holds your tongue down with a wooden tongue depressor
and asks you to say "ahhhh." This "ahhh" action uses the same musculature
that you use when you yawn. Try yawning and note the different muscles that
you use (i.e., become "throat-wise"). You can actually exercise these
muscles anywhere or anytime by "yawning" with your mouth closed.
Incidentally, I live at high altitude and use this same yawning action to
"pop" my ears on an abrupt altitude change. Works great for that, too.

Also, as John points out, holding the back of your tongue low and out of the
way is an integral part of the action you are looking for. I am willing to
bet that those who have trouble learning and applying this opening of the
back of the throat are using the pucker embouchure. The pucker embouchure
leaves the front of the tongue to move about freely, which is a good initial
way to learn to bend, but it actually hinders the ability to achieve the
deepness and tonal quality of your bends in the long run. I strongly suggest
spending some time learning to use the u-block and/or tongue-block
embouchures in earnest. These embouchures anchor the front of the tongue in
a way that prevents many of the tongue bends you likely learned using the
pucker embouchure. You ~have to~ learn to use the back of the tongue, your
oral cavity, and airways. In my own case, a couple of weeks concentrating on
u-blocking taught me things about tone and bending I never would have
learned had I stuck exclusively to the pucker embouchure, even though I
rarely use it these days.

Yes, I said your tone, too will improve markedly by "mining" the benefits of
opening up the back of the throat. Achieving great harmonica tone involves
learning to stand straight and open your airways as much as possible from
the diaphragm on up. Opening the back of the throat clears the way to oening
the major airways in your lungs. You turn your mouth and chest into your
resonant cavity that way.

Finally, someone mentioned Douglas Tate's excellent books, "Make Your
Harmonica Work Better," and "Play the Harmonica Well." They are indeed both
available on Amazon. True, these books are written from a chromatic player's
view, but they both contain a wealth of knowledge indespensible, IMO, for
every serious harmonica player regardless of their axe of choice. They are
an important part of the harmonica legacy Douglas left us with. And bargains
at $9.95 each!

Hopes this helps.

Michelle

PS: How great it is firing up Harp-L after a hiatus to find not only the
classic contributors but the likes of Steve Baker, Brendon Power, and George
Brooks active on the list!