7,8 & 9
Hi, I’m Jeff from London, UK and I’ve been on here a few weeks now.
There are many vids about playing holes 2&3 all over the web and with good reason. I’d like some help and advice getting consistent and decent tones from the 789 holes. These are stiff, reluctant to move and often need a lot of work so any tips would be appreciated. Is it only me that find these holes a challenge? They just seem so inconsistent in their reaction to airflow. I can get tones that are horribly ear shatteringly squeaky and this is just one hole only. I play Suzuki Manji's
Thanks
Thanks Bill, I'll give it a go.
Jeff
Hey Jeff - Bill has given you some great suggestions. The higher holes have shorter reeds so are stiffer but you shouldn't have to change technique much. The way the reeds are set up could be part of the problem. If the gap is set up too tight (or too open), it will affect how they respond. You should be able to get the note with the same gentle breathe in and breathe out method. Go to the highest hole you can get the kind of tone you want (like 5, or 6) and then using exactly the same breathing (not blowing or sucking) go to the next higher hole and go back and forth between the two until you start getting what you want.
The only other thing I can think of is what David refers to as imagining the pitch of the note and shaping your oral cavity to match that pitch. Try changing your tongue position and shape and cavity shape to see if that makes any difference. I know when it came to blow bends, I had to work really hard on this part before I started to get what I wanted.
Good luck and keep at it. Let us know how it goes!
The high reeds can benefit from
-- gentle breathing
-- a wide open mouth cavity
-- the tongue back from your lips and lying on the floor like a rug
-- wide open throat like you're yawning.
Most of the difficulty people have with high reeds is that they breathe too hard and have their tongues pressed forward in the mouth. True, reeds are not always optimally adjusted, but most of the problem is really with understanding how to approach these reeds, especially the draw reeds.
Persuade the notes to float out on the breeze like the perfume of honeysuckle on a warm summer evening.
Thanks for your tips guys. I find the only way to get a decent note is to raise my tounge just a tad and yes, blow lightly. Then if i'm lucky I'll get a note. I've only been playing a year but in that time is many, many hours of practice (graft) which does get you places ... slow..lee.
I recently got lucky on eBay and bought a broken Suzuki Fabulus which I got cheap. As some of the lower reeds were blown out I wanted to play it right away I took my Manji plates and put them into the Fab. The diff in responce and sound is just totally amazing and these stiffer reeds seem to actually wanna move now but they still arn't right. I see this on Pitch Lab a brilliant app for Droid phones. As the comb weighs a ton I'm guessing it's the mass of the brass that is helping this. Also the old plates in this harp did have the 78910 working it 's an alround better harp and one I'll never sell as the new price is horrific.
However I do need to fiind a man that can set up these mangy Manjies.
Does anyone know who does custom work in the UK? I did ask the queen but she wasn't amused!
Thanks
hey jeff, im sure theres plenty of people around here that can answer your question more specifically, but this cant hurt, try playing a long blow note,try to keep it at the same volume,then do the draw note try to maintain the same volume, and duration, move around the harp changing the volumes and not durations one note at a time, try to see what makes the reed start vibrating or sounding, think about your column of air from the bottom of your belly right up through your throat and mouth, try to be a pipe, a column of air sounding that little reed, nice and easy big fat notes
hope this helps bill