Excess of spit
Hi Dave
I've just started the first few videos and am enjoying them. Very clear and well presented - well done.
Got a weird problem with the tongue blocking one though. I'm trying to practise up and down the simple five-note scale do-re-mi-fa-so-fa-mi-re-do. I start off OK, but once I've played about three or four notes I've filled the harmonica with spit and notes stop working. I then have to stop and either bang or suck the spit out. Then I start again and can do it fine, but the problem is I can never get past playing three or four notes in a row.
The problem seems to happen more on the draw notes than the blow ones. At the point I have to stop, I can usually still blow through holes four and five, but can't draw through them until I get rid of the spit.
I'm learning with my daughter. She has no such problem and can do the exercise fine! Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks
Graham
Hi Graham,
I hope you don’t mind me commenting on this. What I discovered is that saliva has been a real issue for me at the beginning of each level of study. When I am working on something new, the anxiety or stress seems to cause more saliva production. Once I start to feel more comfortable with a lick or song, the problem seems to mostly go away. When I’m learning a study song the saliva issue is always at the part of the song where I’m struggling. As you get more confident and comfortable with the harmonica and the song you are studying, I suspect the problem will mostly go away.
My experience may not be the same for everyone. I wish you luck, and I hope you enjoy the discoveries you will make learning to play the harmonica; I know I have.
Brian in Tennessee
Welcome to the site Graham, I'm glad you're enjoying your studies. This is a common challenge for players in their first year of study. Here are some tips for you...
1) Head Up - Gravity does a good job of flowing saliva into your harmonica if your head is not level. Raise your music stand (or raise your computer monitor if you're reading from the lesson PDF) closer to eye level, so that you're looking forward, not downward. Not only will this help with saliva, but your neck will be less tired after practice sessions and your tone may improve (less constriction of the throat).
2) Light Touch - Use a light touch with your tongue and lips on the face of the harmonica. The harder you press your tongue on the face of the harmonica, the more saliva you're likely to push into the harp. Using a light touch is also important for good tone, speed (imagine the tongue getting stuck in the holes as you move), and hole accuracy for pretty much any of your tongue block techniques.
3) Tilt the face of the harmonica downwards - This is what I teach in the beginning lessons in regards to good technique for general embouchure (how you place the harmonica in the mouth), but it's also helpful for this saliva issue. Review the basic lessons on how to play a single note on the harmonica for visuals of this.
4) Play Softly – The louder you play, the more there’s a probability that saliva will flow out with your air. Less air can mean less saliva. This will not be an issue after you’ve mastered the above tips, but it’s something you can use now to help, and most players play too loud anyways, so it’s a good overall tip.