F harp
Wed, 03/14/2012 - 13:40
Winslow...Greetings....What I am saying is while advancing onto the F harp I have found the bends are much harder to obtain. Focusing on the 2 draw bend , a whole step, my embouchure, I assume must change somewhat in comparison, lets say, while using an A harp... What are the adjustments I need to make; are there any exercises to develop the technique needed and, what are they? Thank you much...Tommy Hutch
Think about the fact that you tune your mouth to the note you want to play when you bend.
The smaller the tuned chamber inside your oral cavity (space between your teeth and throat more or less), the higher the note.
Every time you go up an octave, you divide the volume (or length) of the chamber in half.
A regular F-harp is a little more than 2/3 of an octave higher in pitch than n A-harp. So al your bends will move forward in your mouth.
I'm not saying your should get out a ruler and stick it in your mouth. I'm just dramatizing the differences.
The point is, you need to move the "back wall" of the tuned chamber forward in your mouth or higher-pitched bends. The back wall is that place where you narrow the airflow by moving your tongue up close to th rf of your mouth. I call this the "K-spot" because for a lot of notes it's roughly where you'd use the same tongue motion to make the sound of the consonant "k".
Here's another way to approach it, using an A-harp and an F-harp.
Try bending Daw 4 on an A-harp. Memorize the feel of it, specifically what your tongue is doing and where it is in your mouth.
Now, go to Draw 2 on an F-harp. This note is only one semitone higher, so needs an oral cavity only slightly smaller.
Go back and forth between the two, and focus on getting the Draw 2 to bend down on the F-harp. Of course it's also a deeper bend, so you have to make additional adjustments.
When that starts to come in nicely, pick up the A-harp and play your Draw 6 bend, making sure that it bends nicely, with a smooth slide down and full tone.
Now, the 6 bend on the A-harp is very close to both Draw 3 AND Draw 4 on the F-harp. Draw 4 on the F-harp is a semitone higher, while Draw 3 on the F-harp is two semitones lower.
When you tackle th high blow bends:
Blow 9 on the A-harp is a semitone below Blow 7 on the F-harp.
Blow 10 on the A-harp is same as Blow 8 on the F-harp.
Let me know how it goes.