I just put this on the main site, but since a lot of you folks seldom (if ever
) get over there, I thought I'd share it here as well.
I know folks who've been playing for decades, and although their speed and articulation have improved immensely, their sound/tone is pretty much the same as when they started playing. Harking back to my railroad days,
(I love harking back to my railroad days. ) I remember handing my 64 to another engineer and told him to try it. He stuck the thing in his face and played a few notes. It totally blew my mind. This guy had no idea what he was doing but he had a tone I could only dream about. I remember trying to talk him in to playing the harmonica, but he couldn't care less. So, natural good tone? Some got it; some (most, actually) don't got it. AND more importantly, will probably never have it,
unless they pursue it. Tone is its own animal. It doesn't just jump into your playing one day and say: "Hey, I'm here!" but rather, is illusive.
I know players that know every scale, forwards, backwards and sideways, with speed and articulation that's off the charts, with jazz licks to die for, but their tone is mediocre at best. What's up with that? I'm gunna take a flying' guess here and say: "They just don't want it bad enough." I know I do, and that's why I never quit working on it. Perfect example: Blues traveler. "Two hundred MPH and tone like a Canadian Whooping Crane - IMPO)
If we really want something, NOTHING ever keeps us from pursuing it. ("Better better best, never let it rest, yada yada yada) We all know the rhyme and we also know it's true, don't we? Man will always either give up, get what he wants, or die trying.
Except for good tone, all that other stuff, by the way, DOES just kinda show up with practice. Unless you're born with it, I believe tone, and the pursuit thereof requires just that: Pursuit.
There are more variations to how and where air and sound moves around in our mouths, heads, throat and lungs than most folks want to realize. Learning and developing these variations is "the road," not "the trick" to better tone. I say that because it's a process, and it'll get probably better as long as you pursue it.
"Can someone help me with my tone?" Yes, in a limited way. Since it's such a personal thing, it's difficult for a teacher/coach to get inside your head and explain everything perfectly, but he/she can usually help you "get leg up" by sharing some of the dynamics.There's a lot to learn and it's all fun!
)