6th hole inhale tongue block and bend/ also Fryette Power Station 100 for apartment practice with neighbors
hi David
I have stayed home for the last two years because of co-vid and when places to play were at a minimum.I did not play or practice.I am concerned and yet at the same time not concerned. I presume I will again be ok. In the past this has happened a few times and each time I was able to grow and move into new place. I would like to thinkI I again will go past what was before and grow.
A month or two ago I went to bend the 4th inhale note and found that I could not do it.
I was unable to tongue block and bend it. I could bend the notes when I pursed my lips. At the same time as I tried bending the note, I was running out of breath.A month went by with no results.I rationalized that I had two separate heart stent operations within a year.I presumed that the co-vid inactivity and the stents had added to the shortness of breath.The lack of attack strength to tongue-block and bend a note was a concern.
I was able to bend the 4th,3rd and 2nd with pursed lips.Another month passed and I regained the ability bend and tongue block the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd holes.
After speaking with a pulmonary exercise doctor, I have accepted the level of inhale I have now will not increase. What I have I will continue to keep with exercise and playing.
Despite regaining the ability to bend the 4th,3rd and 2nd hole with a tongue block, I have not been able to tongue-block bend the 6th hole.
David, would you have any suggestions to do this?
To change the subject......
A while ago I asked if you had any experience with 1-watt amps for practice at low volume levels and not disturb the neighbors.Shortly after that I read a thread on the subject of amp attenuators.I bought two of the cheapest made by Bugera.As I read through the thread I realized it was a choice between the best for studio or the best for live performance.The best for studio is the Universal Audio Ox Amp. I choose the best for live performances, the Fryette Power Station 100. Somehow I had enough money.
I paid up front at Guitar Center and I am waiting for delivery. I really didn't know what I was buying. I have a bunch of small amps and big amps.I have never been able to play them at home.Some I have had since 1990.
The amps have stayed at home unused because of a lack of transportation. I would put my harps in a back pack and ride a bike to the bus stop and then put the bike on the bus.Thirty years have passed and I am still doing the same thing. I am over joyed with a thought that I can take the amps out of their cases and put them in the living room. Soon I will be able to play all of my amps at home. This has never happened before. Everything is going to change.
.......
On April 23 I put three songs in the share section.Two live tracts and one from a studio,Killer Joe,Tonight, and A Change Gonna Come. Each is twenty minutes. Perhaps sometime you might listen.
Thanks as always
Tommy
Yes, you have thee general idea Tommy. Bending requires that you raise your tongue. In this case, you want to focus raising your tongue closer to the face of the harmonica. In regards to the amp... Skip is the man... all you have to do is say that you're a harmonica player and he will do the magic from there.
Hello tommy. Keep your harmonica at the same angle as you normally do when you play. Keep at it, you'll get it.
Hello Tommy.
The physics tell as that we need a small chamber in the mouth, so what you're working on is correct... working on a small chamber in the front of your mouth. I recommend you work with a private instructor... they will be able to help greatly, being that they can see and hear you as you bend. Winslow Yerxa would be a great choice.
I don't think you're going to hear a tone difference with a different ohm setting. It's more of a math thing than a tone thing. The goal is to match your summed ohms to the ohms of your head. Most my heads are 4 ohms, so I would have two 8 ohm speakers, making it 4 ohms total.
Hello Tommy, welcome back.
I'm glad to hear that your skills are returning. For the 6 draw bend, focus on humping more of the front of your tongue, further forward in your mouth. The key is small. P.S., tongue block bending takes no more air than pucker bending (after your skill is good).
Yeah, no experience with attenuators... I hope it works out well for you.