Covering 4 holes
Wed, 01/08/2014 - 07:53
Hi David,
I have only been on the site for a week and really enjoying it. My question is that when I set up for tongue blocking my mouth covers 4 holes. After I have been up and down the harp doing scales etc my mouth only seems to cover 3 holes. My question is will this improve as time goes on and my mouth muscles tone up or is this something that I really need to work on now as it will hinder me playing octaves later on. Thanks.
Andy
Gad you're enjoying your studies Andy. If you get used to being over four holes now, your slaps, pulls, flutters and side-flutters will sound much fuller… that makes it worth it right away. The other advantage is that you're much more likely to use octaves if they're easy to play (i.e., just a slight move of a tongue away and no mouth change needed). So for those reasons, it's a good idea now. The best exercise for getting used to being over four holes is your first tongue block exercise (Tongue Blocking Study 1 > Section 1 – Technique > Ex. 1.1 – Tongue Agility). Best wishes on your studies.