Re: bending w/o tip; was overblows in pitch HarpL Archives

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Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 03:33:37 EST
From: Spschn~ol.com
Subject: Re: bending w/o tip; was overblows in pitch

- --part1_92.e7b5f21.2782ec61_boundary

Recently I've noticed something like what Tinus is talking about, which I've
been thinking of as "pure H-spot" bending as covered onlist in the past.
For
me it's most noticeable and easiest on high blow bends at this point. These
had improved a lot for me when I learned to anchor the tip of my tongue
against the base of my lower front teeth, but there were still control
problems. I was humping my tongue's tip forward as if to squeeze a pea
between the teeth and tongue there.

Recently, after starting to try tongueblocked bends down low and realizing
the H-spot area was crucial, I tried shifting the focus of puckered high
blow
bends back to the H-spot instead of behind my front teeth. The result was
much greater control of the bends, though I am still getting the hang of
this.

Also, nearly a year ago I fixed a couple of other bending problems by
focusing on the H-spot. By using H-spot instead of K-spot bending, the
squeal on my D LO's 3Dbbb went away--I could sustain it cleanly for as long
as my wind held out. And I'd always had trouble when I started with a 2Dbb
and slowly released it to the unbent note. I realized the problem was one
of
trying to make a transition from the H-spot, which I was using for full-step
or more bends, and the K-spot, which I was habitually using for half-steps
like 3Db. When I used only H-spot bending, I could bring 2D up out of the
full bend smoothly and evenly, but I had to learn to focus on the back of my
throat.

These experiences have led me to believe that H-spot bending employs a much
purer or cleaner resonant system, if those are the right adjectives to
use--a
more direct control of the resonance that enables us to hit and control
bends, and possibly overbends as well. K-spot bending is useful for
textural
effects for me, but just not as controllable, and I do better to employ them
quite separately.

What I have wondered about lately is my habit of thinking about overbends,
especially overblows, as a two-step process. One must stall what is usually
a closing reed, say the 6B, and people seem to talk about using a blow bend
tongue position to do this. Then one starts the usual closing reed, 6D
here,
to open and play the overbent note, seemingly by a puff of air from the back
of the throat. I believe Richard Hunter has remarked the high incidence of
microdelayed notes in overbent playing, the hesitation and "coughing" start
to such notes, and the way it detrimentally calls attention to the use of an
overbend.

To me, starting the second reed going clearly requires the correct resonant
position at the back of the throat, as does sustaining the overbent note and
bending it up. And stalling the first reed seems most easily done with the
front of the tongue. But is it really possible to make a seamless
transition
from one area of the mouth to another, bringing in the overbend smoothly and
instantaneously? I've just been wondering about this lately. Does it have
to be a two-part process? Are many of us making overbends more difficult
for
ourselves than we need to? Could we learn to play them "strictly from the
back of the throat"? Is that how tongueblocking overbenders do it?

I know I've seen overbending instructions that say we should use "blow bend"
front-of-tongue positions to get the overbends. But it feels to me as
though
my better overbends come from back around the H-spot. Anyone else
experiencing this? Tinus, is this the sort of thing you mean?

Stephen Schneider
Houston, Texas

- --part1_92.e7b5f21.2782ec61_boundary

Recently I've noticed
something like what Tinus is talking about, which I've
been thinking of
as "pure H-spot" bending as covered onlist in the past. For
me
it's most noticeable and easiest on high blow bends at this point.
These
had improved a lot for me when I learned to anchor the tip
of my tongue
against the base of my lower front teeth, but there were
still control
problems. I was humping my tongue's tip forward as
if to squeeze a pea
between the teeth and tongue there.

Recently, after starting to try tongueblocked bends down low and
realizing
the H-spot area was crucial, I tried shifting the focus of
puckered high blow
bends back to the H-spot instead of behind my front
teeth. The result was
much greater control of the bends, though I
am still getting the hang of this.

Also, nearly a year ago I fixed a couple of other bending problems by

focusing on the H-spot. By using H-spot instead of K-spot bending,
the
squeal on my D LO's 3Dbbb went away--I could sustain it cleanly for
as long
as my wind held out. And I'd always had trouble when I
started with a 2Dbb
and slowly released it to the unbent note. I
realized the problem was one of
trying to make a transition from the
H-spot, which I was using for full-step
or more bends, and the K-spot,
which I was habitually using for half-steps
like 3Db. When I used
only H-spot bending, I could bring 2D up out of the
full bend smoothly
and evenly, but I had to learn to focus on the back of my
throat.

These experiences have led me to believe that H-spot bending employs a
much
purer or cleaner resonant system, if those are the right adjectives
to use--a
more direct control of the resonance that enables us to hit
and control
bends, and possibly overbends as well. K-spot bending
is useful for textural
effects for me, but just not as controllable, and
I do better to employ them
quite separately.

What I have wondered about lately is my habit of thinking about
overbends,
especially overblows, as a two-step process. One must
stall what is usually
a closing reed, say the 6B, and people seem to
talk about using a blow bend
tongue position to do this. Then one
starts the usual closing reed, 6D here,
to open and play the overbent
note, seemingly by a puff of air from the back
of the throat. I
believe Richard Hunter has remarked the high incidence of
microdelayed
notes in overbent playing, the hesitation and "coughing" start
to such
notes, and the way it detrimentally calls attention to the use of an

overbend.

To me, starting the second reed going clearly requires the correct
resonant
position at the back of the throat, as does sustaining the
overbent note and
bending it up. And stalling the first reed seems
most easily done with the
front of the tongue. But is it really
possible to make a seamless transition
from one area of the mouth to
another, bringing in the overbend smoothly and
instantaneously?
I've just been wondering about this lately. Does it have
to
be a two-part process? Are many of us making overbends more difficult
for
ourselves than we need to? Could we learn to play them
"strictly from the
back of the throat"? Is that how tongueblocking
overbenders do it?

I know I've seen overbending instructions that say we should use "blow
bend"
front-of-tongue positions to get the overbends. But it feels
to me as though
my better overbends come from back around the H-spot.
Anyone else
experiencing this? Tinus, is this the sort of
thing you mean?

Stephen Schneider

Houston, Texas

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