Bruno Loff:
Hey Cres,
Actually, the important thing in noting practice isn't the verbalization itself, the "noting" action is a gesture composed of two movements: you first "touch" the sensation, really "touch" it with your attention, as if to penetrate it to see what is really there, and then you "come back" and "name it."
In my understanding, it is the "touch" part that really matters. The reason why it is a good idea to verbalize what you just felt when you "touched" the sensation is because it allows you to keep track if you're really paying attention to what is happening. It prevents that you "touch" a sensation without really getting to know what is there. And it really "brings you back" and makes you "ready for another one."
Each "touch" should be a fresh application of attentive investigation to a given sensation at a given moment. Once you get an intuitive grasping of what noting is, you will know if you're doing it right regardless if you say the correct label. Then you can just use "ta, ta, ta, ta, ta" or some other short syllable between every "touch." Eventually even the syllable can be dispensed with, and then you are just doing "touch, touch, touch" rhythmically (but attentively, without transing out). Then things can get very fast.
Bruno
I really like that explanation and the concept of "touching" as that's what I have been doing. I understand now from all the posts in this thread the idea and importance of the labeling, as you said it, it prevents one from just going into a trance and really forces one to really acknowledge what has been "touched". Thanks.
Cheers.