Bending

The back of the tongue is used for articulation with all embouchures (it's the primary articulation for tongue blocking). This is commonly accessed by using "g," as in "ga" or "k," as in "ka." When bending this turns into "gu" and "ku." This is also the area of the tongue that's raised when bending lower-pitched reeds, like 3, 2 and 1 on an A Harmonica for example.

We're now to the part of the tongue that's not used for tongue blocking or articulation. "EE" is a good approximation for the movement of the middle of the tongue upwards in the mouth. The humping of the middle of the tongue is commonly the location for bending on the 4 draw and the first stages of the 3 draw (3' for example).

Behind the blade of the tongue (what we'll call the middle-front) is the area used to control draw bends on holes 5 and 6, and blow bends on holes 7 through 10. This area of the tongue requires the most training and time to develop. The middle or back of the tongue is easy to raise and interact with the roof of the mouth. The middle-front has the challenge of working in the area of the mouth where there's a sharp curvature, between the Post-alveolar and Pre-palatal (location 5 and 6 in the diagram here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alveolar_consonants). continue reading...

To check if you're achieving the vibrato, open up HarpNinja. Play a tremolo (no pitch change) and you'll see the green light of the box for that hole flicker on and off. When performing the vibrato (pitch change) you'll see the readout alternating between that hole and its half step bend.

The dip is a technique used often by harmonica players, but is a technique that sometimes draws confusion for new players. To define the dip... this is where we start a note bent and then release it quickly to the intended pitch. This is similar to a vocalist swooning into a note for dramatic effect. For example, a 4 draw can be presented by playing 4' D-flat and then quickly releasing up to its natural pitch 4 D. The dip is generally a fast technique, though it can be drawn out in a slow blues for a more dramatic, bluesy effect. continue reading...

Tip of the Day comes from educator Winslow Yerxa in his upcoming interview on the site. In this video snippet he talks about blow bending and the small, frontal embouchure required for the technique. My tip (in the video as well) is to play a 6 draw bend on the D Harmonica... observe the movement of your tongue... and then perform an 8+ bend on the G Harmonica with the same movement (it's the same pitch/bend, so you can use this familiar movement of the tongue for your blow bend). http://youtu.be/f8FDXiwD_o4

HarpNinja is an invaluable program for those working on their bending skills. Join me for a quick screen-cast lesson on this software. For more information and to purchase this program visit: http://harpninja.com/wp/ This is lesson is for all skill level players. No harmonica is needed for this lesson.

Last year fellow student Hank Stefaniak reviewed the new harmonica pitch reference software HarpNinja for everyone (thanks Hank!). I've been using this with students at my School of the Blues for a while to test its effectiveness and have been working with the developer on suggested improvements (he's been great about implementing my suggestions). continue reading...

On 12/2 I wrote... continue reading...

Here's the actual footage of me in the MRI while bending on the harmonica. Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/I5kogDrivvQ