tmf714
567 posts
Mar 25, 2011
8:16 AM
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Richard sent me this e-mail this morning-thought I would share it here-
1. Balanced Rhythmic Breathing - matching the in-breath and out-breath in volume, tone, and timing 2. Controlling your air supply. The ability to empty or fill the lungs as needed while playing the harmonica, regardless of how many blow or draw notes you may be playing in a row 3. Strategic relaxation: The ability to keep your throat and upper body relaxed and open as your resting or default position. Disconnecting all muscles that do not help you play the instrument. 4. Precise control of breath shifts. The ability to shift from in-breath to out-breath, out-breath to in-breath instantly and effortlessly. 5. Precise control of starting and stopping air flow with the diaphragm. The ability to completely stop the in-breath and out-breath with perfect timing as you keep your throat and tongue from blocking the air flow in any way. 6. Precise control of starting and stopping air flow with the throat. 7. Precise control of dynamics. The ability to play the full range of volume from your instrument and shift from loud to soft, soft to loud at will. 8. Control of tone color by manipulating the throat and tongue to increase and decrease the size of the vibrating mass of air. 9. Control of pitch - the ability to bend and over-bend notes, in-breath and out-breath, to play the complete range of shades of pitch available on any diatonic harmonica. Another way of saying this is that you have mastered bending blow and draw notes, overblows and overdraws. 10. Control of sideways movement from one chamber to another. This requires mastering the combination of hand, mouth, tongue, and jaws. 11. Tongue blocking - The ability to play chords, intervals, and create textures by controlling the off and on movement of the tongue to the mouthpiece of the harmonica. !2. Tongue switching - the ability to control the sideways movement of the tongue to play interval jumps or create textures.
Last Edited by on Mar 25, 2011 8:17 AM
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