Well, I shouldn't really be telling you guys about my secret weapon, but I will anyways, lol.
Several months before I started playing the harp, which was last summer, I had some dental work done. I have had pretty bad teeth most of my life, and finally it got to the point that I had to have 2 teeth removed, with the intention of getting implants put in. Now however, I don't think I will ever have those implants placed, unless I stop playing the harp, which seems unlikely.
The 2 teeth that got removed are both on the right side of my mouth. One is the top one, 4th back from the center and the other is the bottom tooth 6th back from center. These missing teeth give me a tremendous amount of suction coming from the right side of my mouth. I can actually feel with my hand and hear the difference in suction between the right and left side of my mouth, and it is pretty big.
Now granted I have never played the harmonica with those teeth in place, but there is no doubt in my mind that it gives me an advantage. I was able to get intense and dramatic sounding controlled bends within my first month of playing, and I was even able to bend tongue-blocked notes within a few mins (I think this is especially useful for tongue blocked notes because I usually put my tongue to the left and bend the harmonica towards the right side of my face).
Anyways I am curious if anyone else has had this experience, or even better, would you consider having teeth surgically removed to improve tone? Now THATS dedication, lol.
I've got all my teeth (except two that got pulled when I got braces to make room for everything). I do have a chip on one of my bottom front teeth though. It runs down between it and the other front tooth, top to bottom. I did get it filled once, but the filling fell out within a week and the dentist wasn't confident he could get it to stick because of it's strange location.
Aside from having to be extra diligent about brushing the spot the only time it's ever bothered me is when I tried to take up trumpet. I played the baritone when i was a kid, and when you adjust from bass to treble cleff and baritone to trumpet it turns out the fingering is pretty close to identical when you are reading sheet music (different notes, but the same lines and spaces.) My mom got me a trumpet at a second hand store as a gift and I gave it a shot... but man, the mouthpiece hurts that tooth! It sits right on it. That, and the fact that my cheapo mute keeps falling out (combined with apartment living) ended my move back into the brass section.
Hmm... when they are in an orchestra, are harmonicas considered part of the brass section or the reed instruments?
As much as it pains me to say it, I take advantage of my pudgy face to push the harp in against my cheek to get a really tight seal ---------- Nate Facebook Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
I was curious if different shaped front teeth would effect playing. Or diffetent shaped teeth anywhere for that matter. And if so you could come up with harmonica dentures, or perhaps something that clicks over your teeth like a rappers grill.
Just like altering the flow of air creates bends, perhaps you could get some really good effects or tonez with a specially designed mouthpiece.
Another possibility would be something that whistled or made some kind of noise you could add to the sound of the harmonica. That you could cover with your tongue to deactivate. Just one more effect to throw in there ... ya kno?
Seems really novelty, but it was just an idea. ----------
