|
|
- General Information
- Correct breathing for the harmonica means NOT sucking and NOT blowing into the harmonica-
Sucking and blowing occurs with your lips and at the front of the
mouth. This is the most instinctive method of getting air through the
harmonica, but it is not correct.
- Put the harmonica as far into your mouth while maintaining single notes-
The easiest way to breathe correctly with the harmonica is to play your
single notes with the harmonica as far into your mouth as possible. The
further you put the harmonica into your mouth without losing the single
note, the better. This will allow you to bypass the "sucking
mechanism", the front of your mouth and lips, and force you to breathe
correctly from your diaphragm. Try making a "ha" sound for every exhale
(blow note) and every inhale (draw note) that you play. This applies to
the 'whistle' and the 'tongue blocking' methods of playing single notes.
Airflow should always be parallel to the harmonica,
reed plate, and reed itself.
- Good tone, volume, and power- The best tone, volume, and power are derived almost exclusively from correct breathing technique on the harmonica.
AUDIO: "Breathing Example"
Breathing (correct & incorrect) on Hole 4 on "C" diatonic.
Audio/Video Help
- "Survival breathing" (for beginners)- It should be noted
that the correct breathing on harmonica is not to be confused with what
we might refer to as "survival breathing". "Survival breathing" on
harmonica will develop naturally the more you play the harmonica. All
beginning harmonica players get very winded and tired when they play for
more than just a few minutes. Time, and conditioning through repetition
will solve this problem. Remember to stay relaxed and try to breathe
with, through, and around the harmonica. Don't force it.
- Your stomach always moves first- When breathing
correctly on the harmonica, the first thing, physically, that should
happen when you play a note, is that your stomach (diaphragm) moves.
This movement creates the airflow that ultimately makes the sound come
out the harmonica.
- Different names for breathing technique- Correct
breathing is sometimes referred to as "diaphragmatic breathing", "deep
breathing", "Zen breathing", "stomach breathing", "3-step breathing", or
"yoga breathing".
- Breathing taught in other disciplines- You may already
be familar with correct breathing techniques from another discipline
(i.e. martial arts, weight lifting, running, or some other sport), and
in that case, you might save a bit time compared to someone who has not
consciously worked with this technique before.
- Harmonica breathing is similar, yet different- The
correct breathing for harmonica is similar to the breathing taught for
singing or playing virtually any horn or wind instrument, yet slightly
more complex. Most sports, martial arts, singing, and horn playing
involve only control of your breath for the exhale portion of your
breathing.
- Breathing for harmonica can be more difficult- Harmonica not only involves the exhale and the inhale aspects of breathing, but harmonica playing emphasizes the inhale portion (for 2nd position) which is much less natural for most of us. We always talk and sing when we are in the exhale mode of breathing. We don't use the inhale mode of breathing for much of anything except for the breathing itself. Because of this, most people find that the correct breathing for harmonica is more difficult and complex then they might have expected. Don't let this scare you off, it may take some time to get the full, rich, loud sound that pro players get, but with the following steps and some practice, you will be able to do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment