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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Volume and Control of Breath
Volume and Control of Breath
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Frank
1452 posts
Nov 23, 2012
4:36 PM
Playing "hard" or "loud" - I'm sure has different degrees of meaning depending on the player...

Here is a description that may help someone…Say I’m taking a nice casual walk, strolling along and I decide to take it up notch and begin to move a bit more briskly- so I’m going a little faster now, but still light on my feet; then I gracefully break into a jog floating along the trail using my energy and power as efficiently as possible not wasting my stride or retarding it in anyway…

As opposed to a kid who just got sent to their room and slams each foot down harder and louder as they make their way up the hall thinking that some how the force in which they made their exit was going to make things better and impress their parents, who just laugh at the kids immaturity and hope they grow into reasonable adults. In everyday life there is a reason we don’t slam our feet down hard with each step when walking or running – it’s not only counter productive to get from point A to point B that way, but it hurts the feet and ruins the knees more quickly etc. Works for Frankenstein and Godzilla though?

If I want to play the harp louder, for me that is accomplished by focusing my unobstructed air flow to the hole or holes I am about to play and directing my energy into the note/s or phrase in a very relaxed posture – keeping my mouth and throat wide to give the breathe the ability to effect the note in a way that increases it’s volume without unnecessary force.

If I want to give the impression of hitting a note harder… I do that by way of pressure from the diagram that isn’t forced air but air or breathe that is regulated in a way that the reed or reeds respond with power and intensity to a light touch and purposeful burst of air.


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