Hole 3 No Sound When Quickly Reversing from Blow to Draw
Tue, 02/17/2026 - 10:54
Dave
It's a mystery. A good example is the lick in Ex 5.1 in Improvising Study 1 Chorus Forms. 3-blow then 3-draw. Most of the time, when I'm warming up with it, it plays fine, but then when I go to record myself, the draw produces no sound. I can't figure out if it's a positioning problem or I'm trying too hard or just too tense because I'm recording. I've tried slowing it down and I've dtried playing softer. The results still seem inconsistent. Is there a work-around or an exercise I could try to get past this?
Hello Jerry. That is a conundrum. You're right that playing softer, and with less tension, should fix it. Generally, lowering the middle/back of your tongue will help as well. Maybe try it on a different key harmonica?