Havoc
44 posts
Feb 17, 2017
3:07 PM
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Wah-wahs and hand vibrato aside. I've been Reading yerxa's book, in which he talks about shaping your sound with your hands. Is there a specific, "graduated" correlation in the size of the cavity in hand to the note? In other words as you play higher notes does the hand cavity become smaller or is it an inverted relationship? Or is it random with so many variables in shape and size of hands that it's trial and error type learning with no straight far course. Would this facilitate, while playing a chord, accentuat ing certain tones while muting others? Again question is specific to "tuning your hand chamber to the note you are playing."
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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MindTheGap
2145 posts
Feb 17, 2017
11:41 PM
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Careful with this one, else you'll get a load of dodgy, absolutist answers about physics :) MBH loves to invoke Resonance at every turn, and all of resonances is particularly fond of Helmholtz Resonance, for some reason.
There's definitely things going on though. There is an interesting effect I know of: if you play a high note and hold one hand well away from the harp - 6 or 8 inches or so as I remember, cupped towards it, you can get a enhancement effect. If you then waft your hand slightly it gives a shimmering sound as you go in and out of the 'resonance' position. You have to hunt around to find it, but it's pretty clear when you do.
So there's a bit of a direct answer to your question - in that case you need to go BIGGER to 'tune' to a higher note.
As for conventional cupping/wah - well the wah-wah sound is created by having a band pass filter, with it's peak sweeping about. Which is what your vocal tract/mouth do when speaking. The normal use of the cup then is to help shape the timbre of a note, as the cup-filter changes the mix of harmonics in that note. It was originally a brass effect using a mute. That's a bit different to the 'tuning to one note' idea though.
When cupping with a microphone, there does seem to be some place when you open up the cup a little and the note rings out a bit stronger.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Feb 17, 2017 11:55 PM
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MindTheGap
2146 posts
Feb 17, 2017
11:54 PM
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That said, have a look at the excellent Pat Missin's site, where he has demos of interesting things, including a page about 'Hand Resonance'. Despite insisting on invoking Helmholtz :) it's good stuff.
http://patmissin.com/uncommon/uncommon06.html
He says you have to open your hand more for higher notes.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Feb 18, 2017 12:06 AM
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Havoc
46 posts
Feb 18, 2017
5:10 AM
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MTG-thank you for the depth and new starting point for some interesting reading.
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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Killa_Hertz
2230 posts
Feb 19, 2017
4:58 PM
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Well I have found (also with mr. Yerxas help) that their most certainly IS a perfect hand cupping size for each note.
I don't remember if it gets smaller for higher Hertz or the other way around. The wife is sleeping or I would try.
Firstly let me just say that there are many different ways to use your hands to get lots of great sounds.
But there is a specific point at which the cavity in your hands matches the frequency of the note .. and the note becomes noticeably Louder. It's a very fine spot. Try holding a note and slowly uncupping your hands. You will hear a point at which the note gets much louder and sounds best. It sort of sounds like bs to me, but I assure you is not.
Like I said it's a fine spot and would take extreme skill I think to be able to nail each note. But with repetition you can kind of get in the ballpark. So I tend to start a little under that spot and open the note until I hit it.
Maybe another thing I could demonstrate if I ever stop procrastinating and make a video.
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Havoc
50 posts
Feb 19, 2017
8:39 PM
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Yes Killa, yerxa describes it just like that, but he starts 6 blow and decreases cup opening until there seems to be a volume increase. Very strange experience indeed.
This one is a ways down my list on wood shedding. But I love the mind trust here and when I can't be practicing it's nice to explore and expand my knowledge reading and exchanging informations.
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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