3 Draws to 4 Draw and similar
Due to some travels in the past few months I am still working on Walk With Me. Improved, but there is one part I can not get. In the areas where we need to slur between draws I can not get it. I hear you play it perfectly but I am unable to get between 3 draw and 4 draw with a dissonant leak between the holes. I can play it a bit staccato but not a slur.
I am attempting to play this from the right side of my month initially covering 1 and 2 the sliding right to cover three and draw 4.
Ive considered trying to play it from the left side, but I am worse at that approach.
Even in general I still struggle with hitting individual notes without the equivalent of a squeak where I slightly miss the correct hole and I get an air leak. Is this just practice, practice etc or is there another technique I missed?
This is one case where I am sure I could beat this problem with a live instructor. Can you offer any guidance?
Gary Knopp
Hello Gary. Yes, this is just practice of time... it takes time to achieve a single note.
In the case of sliding from the 3 draw to the 4 draw. Have your lips over three holes, blocking holes 1 and 2 with your tongue, as you stated. When playing the 4 draw, place your lips over four holes, blocking holes 1, 2 and 3 with your tongue... so your mouth is getting larger. This size embouchure stays the same (mouth around 4 holes all the way to the top of the harmonica).