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From: Douglas Tate
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1996 11:17:49 +0100
Subject: Tone, resonance 'n that

Talking about tone ... and Being extremely careful where I put my mouth
.....

Vern mentions that the resonance tone on harp may be happening in line with
the Helmholtz resonator theory.

I have to admit that there are two things that have me beat here, and I
don't really worry too much about it.

One of the things I note (and teach) is that .. say you play G in hole 7 on
a chromatic and make it resonate. It would seem to me that if I then played
A, the next note higher, I should need a smaller enclosed space around the
harmonica. This is the exact opposite to what happens. As I go down the
instrument, the hand position has to get smaller, as I go up, the hand
position opens up until, in the top octave the hands are very open.

Second. Having taught these positions and got the sound into a students
head, it is then possible to get the same resonance with different hand
positions. If you watch one of the rare (and flawed) videos of me playing,
you would see that my hand position alters during resonating notes to all
sorts of positions.

I propose that the body learns to transfer the resonating cavity to an
internal location.

This isn't as strange as it may sound, you do it all the time, even if you
don't realise it. My 'hand position' method of teaching the sound appears
to be a teaching tool and a very useful starting point. I quote, ad nauseam
(uncapitalised), the guy at the BHF who wouldn't believe I hadn't got an
amplifier even when I got HIM to make the same sound!!! It also doesn't
really depend on instrument although a better instrument (with the right
body material (!)) will enhance any tone.

Funny people are people.

It would be interesting know what is happening, but I suggest that there are
a variety of mechanisms working here.

Bobbie G did some interesting experiments with drinking straws and note
production and as a result a whole bunch of us fools at BHF, in a
restaurant, started playing about with them. I found that I could get the
resonance just with hands and a drinking straw blowing softly and leakingly
into the hole. Smashed my pontificated lecture points to bits.. We live and
alter!!

Douglas T