MRI of the Bending Process - Part 1: Anterior and Posterior Chambers

I'm excited to announce that the product of two years of research with Stanford University will be released this week in the form of a paper and two videos under the title "Bending Process on the 10-Hole Diatonic Harmonica with the Visual Aid of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)."

In preparation for this release, I'd like to prepare you by helping you travel into your mind's-eye to visualize what's happening in your mouth for the bending process.

In the study you'll be presented with the terms "Anterior" and "Posterior" chambers. When bending on the harmonica (in both pucker and tongue block), a portion of your tongue humps up to create two chambers. Behind the hump of the tongue (towards the throat area) is called the Posterior Chamber and in front of the hump (towards your harmonica) is called the Anterior Chamber. The size (or tuning if you like) of the Anterior Chamber is what controls the depth of a bend.

The lower the bend is (3''' for example) the more the constriction point moves back in the mouth, using more of the back of the tongue. The higher the bend is (3' for example) the more the constriction point moves forward in the in the mouth, using more of the front of the tongue.

Experiment with this by playing the entire range of the 3 draw bend. Focus on what part of your tongue humps up and where in the mouth it's located.

More to come...