Tongue Block Trainer Learning Curve - Ready Position Of Tongue

First of all I am really understanding the tongue much better do to the purchase of the Joe Filisko Tongue Block Trainer. I am not paid to say that.

David, is it correct in saying that if you had to have a slight curvature of your tongue, due to a birth defect, and that it simply did not come straight out like when a Doctor says Ah, but your had to choose which way you wanted your tongue to curve or bend from the player's perspective, would it be bent to the left?

I am really looking at your ex. 1.1 in the Tongue Block Study 2.5 and you show a basic 4 hole block that shows that your tongue is in the Doctor's "say Ah" position, but when you show the playing of the single hole your tongue is definitely curved to the player's perspective of left.

This is really a totally different feel for me. Not awkward but different. Is this the standard "go to position" for how the tongue should be pointing?

Almost all of my studies are based around the tongue.

Then another point is that when you show the pull, since the tongue is angled there to the left and then has to cover 4 holes in the "say Ah" position, and then pluck off, it is almost as we are shooting the tongue to our left then moving to the right and plucking off.

It is almost like if we have a big container of ice cream in front of us and we have a scooper in our right hand and we want to shoot the scooper right into the ice cream container and turn and twist it to the right and throw lt over our right shoulder.

I might be too graphic, but the tongue has those muscles and I am trying to first find the starting position and the do the covering, or the lips suction that you talk about and then give it a good pluck.

I believe I have been laying down a 4 hole block and playing the note to the right of a 4 hole block.

I did not want to set the tongue up with bad angles to start.

It seems that this what the trainer is showing.

Will