tookatooka
3434 posts
Aug 11, 2013
2:38 PM
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Found this jazz blues backing track on YouTube and thought I'd improvise to it with my F Harp. I'm really getting very fond of this F harp. I have a theory that the harp should match the resonant cavity of the mouth. Eg small mouth = high harp. Big mouth = Low harp. I find I can do so much more with this compared to my other harps because my mouth and harp are in unison. Does that make sense?
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harpdude61
1777 posts
Aug 11, 2013
3:32 PM
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Hmmm.. I look forward to some of the responses on this one.
I'm trying to think of a good analogy but it's not coming to me.
I always assumed that when a player avoided the high harps it was because their resonator was too small which made it tough to play.
I use same embouchure and cavity size for all harps. As big as I can.
If your theory were true, then your cavity would shrink as you went up the scale of a single harmonica. Why not, you are talking 3 octaves between 1 blow and 10 blow.
No doubt it takes more effort and finesse to bend a 3 hole draw on a high F compared to a low F. For me it is the shape of the throat.... not the size of the resonator.
took you are one cool guy and you have done some really cool stuff on this forum. I, for one, really appreciate you.
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KingoBad
1368 posts
Aug 11, 2013
4:20 PM
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I use a smaller playing cavity on both the high end of harps and higher harps. When I do this I can really get the reeds to sing the way I want. It may or may not be right, but I am happy with the sound I get.
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Danny
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harpdude61
1778 posts
Aug 11, 2013
8:18 PM
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Kingobad it is perfectly right if the sound you get makes you happy.
Personally, I find it hard to get the 8,9,10 blow bends with a small cavity. Some on here even teach to close the mouth even more to get these bends.
The resonator on a guitar does not shrink as you go up to higher strings and frets.
Hey, I've learned better than to say my way is best on this forum as have many others.
If you are happy with what you get from you harp then you are for sure playing the correct way.
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The Iceman
1085 posts
Aug 12, 2013
6:50 AM
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I'm w/KingoBad.
The higher the harmonica, the further forward I place my reference points on the roof of my mouth at which I aim my tongue.
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The Iceman
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STME58
522 posts
Aug 12, 2013
7:46 AM
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The resonator on a guitar does not change as you go up in pitch, but the resonators on string instruments do change to fit the pitch. Look at a violin, viola, cello, and base. The lower the instrument, the bigger the chamber.
Does this apply to harps? I don't know. The reed chamber length is important to the Helmholtz frequency and it does change as you go up and down the harp.
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tookatooka
3435 posts
Aug 12, 2013
8:11 AM
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Thanks guys. My theory will probably get blown out of the water but all I can say is that the F harp seems to be so much more responsive than my other harps. My set are all Sp20's gapped and set up for my playing style. The F harp, needs a little more puff than the others but I can hear the sound modifying with only the slightest change in mouth shape which I don't get on the lower harps like A G and Low F.
Thanks for your encouraging and glowing comments @Harpdude61. I've learnt so much from all you guys on here. It's a great forum that I enjoy being part of. :)
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Tuckster
1322 posts
Aug 12, 2013
4:01 PM
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I do what King OB and Iceman does. That works for me.
Harpdude- "If your theory were true, then your cavity would shrink as you went up the scale of a single harmonica. Why not, you are talking 3 octaves between 1 blow and 10 blow."
For me,at hole 1,I use more air volume and less air pressure. It slowly changes to less volume, more pressure by the time I get to hole 10.
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harpdude61
1782 posts
Aug 12, 2013
7:22 PM
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STME..exactly! Compare the stringed instrument resonator (body) to the oral cavity resonator. They stay the same...now compare the reed sizes changing to the strings/frets changing.
The length of the reed should change your pitch if your not bending, not the size of you resonator.
Tuckster..."For me,at hole 1,I use more air volume and less air pressure. It slowly changes to less volume, more pressure by the time I get to hole 10."..but do yo change resonator size... I have no idea how anyone can move around the harp very quickly if they have to change resonator size every time they change holes.
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Tuckster
1323 posts
Aug 12, 2013
9:28 PM
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Yes. My tongue moves forward in the cavity the higher I go up on the harp. I tried it your way on the high end and had trouble controlling blow bends. I do "throat bend" on the low end but the front of my tongue also comes into play for texture and articulation. Even on the high end my throat's still involved but I have to move my tongue forward.
If you really try to analyze all the things you do playing,it gets amazingly complex. There's all these little things you do automatically without thinking about it. You're constantly going through all these microadjustments. I had to work to get the high end sounding decent and it's an ongoing struggle but muscle memory kicks in and it just happens without me consciencely thinking about it.
Last Edited by Tuckster on Aug 12, 2013 9:36 PM
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STME58
523 posts
Aug 12, 2013
11:09 PM
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A friend of mine found a voice coach for his son. One of the things he is teaching is how to vary the resonant cavity to match each note you are singing in order to get the best tone and volume with the least effort. If this can be done for singing, why not for harp playing?
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