Alternative technique?
Wed, 03/25/2020 - 00:17
Hello all.
I have a disability that makes tounge blocking really difficult.
Are there any other technique to reach the same goal?
Cheers,
Pontus.
Thu, 03/26/2020 - 02:30
#2
@ poppe (Pontus): There are
@ poppe (Pontus): There are certainly great players who primarily played a "pucker" style (e.g., Paul Butterfield). And, there are certainly musicians achieved greatness despite a disabilty (e.g., Django Reinhardt). Focus on what you can do and do that well.
I'd post in the "Ask David" forum to see if he has any ideas on how you can follow his curriculum. I'd post in the "Ask Winslow" forum to see if he has any further ideas on how pucker players approach the instrument.
Will Wilde has a video on "vamping" and about half of it is about how he "fakes" the tongue blocked sound by varying the width of his embouchure, check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdS_nzB6Jo0&list=PLE0kVjEF6S9mejTbkpCnCIAtIjKVUMNB7 (the section about doing the vamping while lip-pursing starts at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdS_nzB6Jo0&list=PLE0kVjEF6S9mejTbkpCnCIAtIjKVUMNB7&t=3m25s)
That won't allow you to do splits, flutters, etc. though. Maybe there's some way to achieve some of those by shaping your lips somehow (like folding your bottom lip up and tilting the harp, trying to seal the middle of the embouchure while leaving the sides open?) Not sure whether splits or flutters are something that your disability allows you to do or not, but though they are a nice embellishment they are not really necessary to play the harp.
Cheers!