At SPAH, Chris M. showed me that he tilted his harp up in his mouth and the harp projects more and he got his beautiful horn tone. Since then, I always watch other players in videos and it seems split..some hold it up (probably most common) and some hold it tilted more downward. I found that as long as you keep a good portion of the harp in your mouth, in my case the lower lip overlaps more of the harp, you get a fuller tone. If I tilted my head up, the harp would no longer be projecting downward and it seemed louder. Of course, that doesn't matter playing through a mic.
hvyj tilts the back of the harp up and I agree. Physics apply in that if a straight line runs thru the center of the hole you are playing and continues thru to the center of your open throat...the most effecient and ergonomic airflow will be produced.....this is achieved by tilting the back of the harp up.....One downside to most harp racks I have seen is the angle...the line thru the hole is aimed at a spot right behind the front teeth.
If you LP, tilting also gets the holes of the harp into the mouth past the top teeth which makes for a larger, more unobstructed oral resonance chamber.
If you TB you can get the holes of the harp in the mouth past the top and bottom teeth whether you tilt or not.
i tilt and i think it improves my tone and overall technique. BUT there are some excellent players who don't tilt.
I see a fair amount of players that tilt the harp down like I do. Look at this Big Walter vid...look at around 5:32 where they show the side view of him playing.
I tilt my harp up at the back. Not on purpose, but It's ended up that way to get the best tone. As a result, I also have my index finger on the coverplate ridge at the back (on top) to make room for my upper lip. ---------- Ozark Rich __________ ##########
I have seen many other that tilt it down...it seems to be easier to hold the mic that way too. Seen R.J. hold it down and Brandon too. Look at around 3:25 of this one...
I think this is a supreme tongue blocker getting the harp where he can put his tongue on it. It makes sense to have it straight or back angled down to get the pops and quacks that BW gets out of it.
I'm not saying you can't TB with the back tilted up, I just think it doesn't work out very well with tongue mechanics.
For what it is worth I take lessons from Grant Dermody and he advocates no tilt at all. Just get as much of the harp in your mouth as possible and lift the soft pallet. He has a great way of teaching the soft pallet lift. ---------- snakes in Seattle
I tilt when i LP, but I will untilt and move the harp a little deeper into my moth when I TB. I'm a mixed embouchure player but generally LP for single notes.
@snakes: Isn't "lifting the soft pallet" just part of what some of us call opening the throat?
Last Edited by on Oct 22, 2011 2:33 PM
I always tilt harp up and I teach my students. I think that it's most relaxed position at least for me. ---------- Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
I prefer flat to tilted slightly down, mainly because I've always been a lip purser, but the past several years trying to use more tongue block (mainly for octaves, flutters, etc). I use the underside of my tongue, which to me, works better with the harp tilted slightly down.
This question came up a while back. Chamber always had it straight. I think it's more of is it a 90 degree angle. I don't tilt and remember said he didn't either. I think it's question of air flow. I would rather have it straight ahead. I use my tongue to usually change the air flow or lips to do what Robert Bonfiglio would call pinch. ---------- Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind How you doin'
Another interesting related topic is how players negotiate the harp when playing riffs up and down: move the whole head, just the bottom jaw, or move the harp. I use my bottom jaw, which is probably related to the up-tilt position.
However, the human body is incredibly adaptable, and there is no one absolutely 'right' way to do any action I think. Maybe some are intrinsically easier than others, but it's amazing how great results can be achieved with a variety of different approaches.
If you look at the way guitarists play with a pick, there are lots of variations: stiff arm or relaxed, holding the pick firmly or loosely, holding it in thumb and first finger or second finger. Then you can go further into the big variety of pick sizes, shapes and thicknesses...
Once you start noticing it, you'll find there are great guitarists who differ widely in their pick/arm technique, which tells me you can't lay down rules about who is 'correct' and who's not.
Same with the harp: it's what comes out that matters, not how you get there.
Survey answer: I thought I had it straight, but there's a slight upward tilt! Learned something just now.
I didn't hear anyone say anything about bends yet. I remember drawbends are easier tilting the back up (because of airflow). That's perhaps why learning students to tilt up is perfect. For overdraw though, the harp can better be tilted down slightly. I sometimes do that when playing a slow solo where the 7OD (only one I use..) must be spot on.
FreeWilly...I respectfully disagree about the overdraws. Tilting up aims the center of the hole at the throat opening. Airflow is more efficient this way no matter what type of bend you play..blow bend, draw bend, overblow or overdraw.
Watch the pros that overbend during runs or as a long note....they don't change the position of the harp.
Well I agree you can bend everything up and down without tilting whatsoever. And that's preferable no doubt. Faster, better tone, what not. But when you're throat or tongue doesn't quite deliver the right CHANGES in airflow, beginners can benefit from tilting, I thought. I wanted to bring that to a discussion concerning tilting, where thinks about learning were being mentioned. Do you disagree about that specific point too? I'd like to know, because I have taught people this....
I stand by my post that is the second one on this thread.
The back of my harp stays tilted up because it seems for me to maximize airflow effeciency. The curve on the top coverplate of the harp fits nicely in the corners of my mouth.
It just seems logical to me that the centerline of the hole would be in line with the center of the throat opening.
It may not seem like much difference if you play a long note and listen what happens while you tilt the harp, but as you play faster and work the various overbends into your play it works better..for me anyway.
I believe in mazimizing the resonator. Strum an acoustic guitar right over the hole..then strum at a point a couple inches behind the hole...hear the difference?
Whatever you do, if you find that you have to change the angle of the harmonica to get a certain note, bend or OB, this is adding too many variables and movements to the technique. Simplify. Find the tilted position that works organically and stay with it. Those that have never experienced this most efficient way to play will, unfortunately have to unlearn a habit and reintroduce a new discipline. When teaching a brand new student, set him up right from day one to make his positioning a solid learned habit.
btw, I keep it tilted even when TB'ing. ---------- The Iceman
Untilting and pulling the holes of the harp into the mouth past the top AND BOTTOM teeth when TBing for octaves and other split intervals CHANGES TIMBRE which is part of why I do it. I've gotten pretty fluid at moving back and forth. I can bend either way, but the timbre is different.
Last Edited by on Oct 25, 2011 8:24 AM
