（Translate by napier@bdwm.net = 大狐狸@sina.com，原文来自网络：www.harmonicasessions.com，原作David Barrett，文章内容版权属于原作者）
The quest for good tone is always on the mind of the conscientious harmonica player. Achieving a good acoustic (non amplified) tone is difficult enough, but to add into the mix how a mic and amplifier work with it adds to the complexity. Most players understand that good tone comes with time, but there are specific areas of focus that we’ll study right now that will take years of this process.
每个称职的口琴手都会努力寻求更好的音色。获得优美的原声是一件相当有难度的事情，而mic和功放使得这件事更加复杂。许多演奏者都明白优美的音色需要长期的摸索。我们现在就来讨论一些特别需要注意的事项——这些可能需要数年的练习。
Embouchure
The first place to start is with your embouchure. Embouchure for the harmonica player encompasses the throat, jaw, tongue and lips; all of which affect tone. The easiest way to explain what is considered a good embouchure is to yawn. The throat opens, the jaw drops and the tongue lowers to the floor of the mouth. The result is a large airway for warm air to travel in and out of the harmonica.
含琴
第一件事情是含琴法。对一个口琴手来说，含琴法包括喉咙、下颌、舌头和嘴唇的动作；所有这些都会影响到发音。对正确的动作最简单的解释就是打哈欠：喉咙打开，下颌张开并且舌头放在口腔的最底部。这样就能给气流提供宽敞通畅的管道。
Pictured below are some side shots of well-know players performing at a Harmonica Masterclass Workshop® (photos by Mark Fenichel). Notice how low each player’s jaw is dropped to achieve good tone.
The Tongue
Placement of the tongue is a very important factor. Most people, even when they think the tongue is down, unknowingly hump the middle to back of their tongue up. If the tongue impedes the airway, it will cause your tone to be weak, flat and/or airy. Start by looking in the mirror and yawning. Notice the placement of your tongue. Is it humped up in the back? If it is in the correct location, it should be sitting on the floor of the mouth, with the top of the tongue pretty much level with the top of your lower teeth. As time goes on you can have your tongue rest higher in the mouth, but until you are able to control the placement of your tongue (this will happen naturally over time) it’s best to just leave it out of the way.
舌头
舌头的位置是一个很重要的因素。大部分人在自己觉得舌头已经放平的时候，实际上并没有做到这一点。他们的舌头中后部是抬起的。如果舌头阻碍了气流，会使琴声显得软弱和空洞。现在照着镜子打个哈欠，注意你舌头的位置：舌根部是不是抬起了？舌头处于正确位置时，应该放平在口琴底部，整个舌头差不多和你的下牙相平。一段时间以后你可以把舌头放得稍高一些，在你能够控制舌头的动作以后，最好的办法是放松它。
The Lips
Many blues players (including myself) use what’s called the tilted embouchure. By tilting the face of the harmonica downward (up to forty-five degrees) the single hole is created from the curvature of the lower lip. This frees the upper lip to ride up on the top cover plate as high as the player wants. When tongue blocking, this embouchure is also desirable because the tilt of the harmonica allows you to use the broad top of the tongue instead of the tip. This makes general tongue blocking techniques like pulls and five-hole octaves much easier to achieve and in general sound better due to achieving more even coverage over the holes.
