The recent Jason Ricci video on tripletts has me researching articulation techniques. I now understand how he builds the "note pattterns". I heard him making the stacatto sounds. But I did not learn how to make the stacatto sounds.
Jason mentioned playing "tuts" for articulation. I too am a "tutter", but I find it hard to believe that the fast articlation I hear from Jason is only a series of "tuts".
Example, for years I have used "didle-it" for fast single pitched triplets. Other articulations I have played with are: "diga diga diga" "duga duga duga" "tuga tuga tuga" "ticka ticka ticka" "tucka tucka tucka"
Each of the above have pros and cons, but "I" can not get the fast note articulation for "Ricci" type tripletts. The 5 examples above use a tongue in front followed by a toungue in back. I have just experimented with "dudder dudder dudder" with limited success. "Dudder Dudder" keeps the tongue in the front.
I am asking for help in learning. What articulation techniques do you use??
I use something that is something like a cross between a D and a T and a tongue cluck. It picks up on the microphone, but it sounds like I'm adding percussion. Don't forget your soft vowels. They can get a sort of vibrato going for you. I have some (brilliantly, if I do say so) songs titled just for the sound I make. One is Witwoo, another is Waylo. I'm particularly found of doing a tongue click while drawing in air. On lower harps it gets a really nice percussive sound. If you sit around without your harp for a few minutes and make drum noises, particularly high hat sort of stuff, a lot of those articulations work well. Duke ch duke ch, tss tss tss tss, tch tch, rolling your r's on blow notes creates a neat effect.
Each one is subtly different. Sometimes I even sing in a really low voice through the harp, without really using my lungs, sort of like you would as part of circular breathing. It's sort of a special effect, but I have one tune where I recorded two separate tracks, one with me whispering 'Got a Quarter Need a Quarter Not a Dime Not a Dime or a Dollar or a Dollar' underneath. It was a goofy song about not having the right change for a vending machine, but for that song, it worked.
Been thinking about this too after Mooncat's triplets post. Working on some of his licks with a slow-downer type app. See new thread about them -coming soon. ----------
"Huddle-uh" is easy to do for triplets but gives a soft sound. I have one jazzy song wehere I say "do de ge de ge" ("e" pronounced as "er" in "her" which gives nice spacing between the notes. Another on the low C I say "doo wicket ter" on the in breath to give a sharp sound. "Twee" is a good way to get a nice articulation on the upper register blow bends.
That's my store of articulation knowledge exhausted.
Just came across the vid below. New one.
I have done articulation practice without the harp while watching TV etc. Wife says it makes me look even more insane....
Nucka Tucka for now...
Last Edited by on May 03, 2012 3:22 PM
As I said before, listen to some scat singers. The diddle-it and huddle-uh I think are the same thing. They use all kinds of different syllables, but the tongue work is all the same. You can get a stacatto sound with a hard "L", at least that's what's going on in my brain. I used this triple-tonguing technique as a bone and trumpet player and also as a ceremonial bugler in the army. What's going on in your brain is not necessarily what's going on in your mouth. Same with my golf swing. If I told you what's going on in my mind when I hit a golf ball, you would laugh your ass off, but it works for me. I can play triplets so fast...well, pretty fast. You are basically starting and stopping a column of air (or interrupting the column) to achieve the effect. You cannot tuh-tuh or ta-ta (single tonguing) nearly as fast as double or triple tonguing.
1)I say there is a difference between single note triplets and multi note triplets
2) Phil Wiggins uses "toodle=lee" (from a class at Augusta Blues week,Elkins,WV, if my memory is correct)
3) My recent working with "dudder" , for triplets, is "dudder-duh dudder-duh dudder-duh". My fascination with this phrase is the "der" in a 3 note triplet. While practicing the "Ricci triplets", I started with all draw notes. The second note is a bent tone. The "der" sound is a back flip of the tounge that draws the pitch down. BronzeWailer's "Do-der-ger" is also an example od "der" as the 2nd sylable. I need to practice theses examples more before I make "der = bent" a proven statement.
4)My quest is for that second bent pitch. I hope someone can help me. Or, I may find that it all rapid throat bending, but I am skeptical about thoat bending only at this point. ---------- theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
Last Edited by on May 04, 2012 5:37 AM
