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mouth

David's Tip of the Day: Laws of Blues Harmonica - Deep in the Mouth

Posted Thu, 09/10/2015 - 08:56 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

Open mouth, insert harmonica... that simple.

The common error is to bring the harmonica near your mouth and pucker your lips out to meet the face of the harmonica. Your mouth closes down towards the harmonica, the jaw raises (like when blowing out a candle) and the tongue raises with it, all creating a narrow air passage that's the perfect embouchure for thin, wimpy tone. continue reading...

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What's New: Lesson 1 - Beginning Student Hob Bosold

Posted Fri, 06/12/2015 - 14:33 by David Barrett Admin
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In Hob's first lesson we cover holding the harmonica; cupping a bullet mic; throat tremolo; importance of playing softly; playing with a relaxed embouchure; closing the nose for breath control; Solo Harmonica Study 1, examples 1.2 and 1.4; Tongue Block Study 1, example 1.2 and Walk With Me Study song, Chorus 1; Music Theory Study 1, Section 1; and bonus footage on the definition of tone in music, and how to create big tone on the harmonica. http://www.bluesharmonica.com/contributor/hob_bosold

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David's Tip of the Day: MRI Bending Study

Posted Mon, 06/08/2015 - 08:19 by David Barrett Admin
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If you've read it once, read it again... this paper is as important to advanced players as it is beginning. The more we can understand how the harmonica and mouth works in the bending process the better. In Ross' Overbending Study 1 he'll be referencing the concepts from this paper, so you'll want to review it to fully understand how the reeds work in the overbending process. https://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/mri_bendin...

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David's Tip of the Day: Light Touch

Posted Mon, 08/18/2014 - 07:10 by David Barrett Admin
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A light touch of your lips and tongue on the face of the harmonica are essential for the proper execution of technique and to achieve good tone. If your tongue, lips or corners of your mouth become tender and painful, then you're pushing too hard.

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David's Tip of the Day: Different Types of Tremolo and Vibrato - Part 5, Vibrato (Mouth Tuning)

Posted Wed, 05/21/2014 - 06:50 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

Item two of our three elements needed to produce a vibrato on the harmonica was, "Mouth is tuned to the note you're playing."

An experienced player of the harmonica subconsciously tunes their mouth to each note they're playing. This mostly has to do with tongue position, but can also involve the shape of the mouth (especially for very low and high notes... of which are different shapes of course... larger for lower notes and smaller and more frontal for higher notes). continue reading...

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After watching the BluesHarmonica.com overview video, try one of the lessons below to experience a lesson at BluesHarmonica.com.

  • Tongue Blocking Study 2 – This study is for the newer player or the player new to tongue blocking
  • Bending Study 5 – This is for the advanced player looking to improve their bending skills

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