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Forums :: General Discussion

Pursing vs tongue blocking

5 replies [Last post]
Thu, 08/06/2015 - 11:38
dwwood
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Joined: 07/28/2015

I am a decent purser.

What is the learning curve to switch to tougue blocking?

I have played around with it and I end up mostly frustrated.

Any suggestions on specific areas to go to to begin the journey!

 

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Thu, 08/06/2015 - 16:53
#1
Mark Vincent
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Level 8
Joined: 02/08/2014
I have always TB'd so I can't

I have always TB'd so I can't help with the curve time but I would suggest watching the beginning lessons and playing the first study song in TB only. David covers the technique in the videos. You could also try the Filisko tongue blocker. Practice and practice and you will get it. It wont take long. Good luck!

 

Regards,

Mark

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Thu, 08/06/2015 - 17:12
#2
BCurtis
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Teacher 3Level 8
Joined: 08/31/2013
Gradual Persistance

I started as a lip purser and was initially resistant to tongue blocking. However when I began the LOA classes I forced myself to work on it and play that way where I could in the study songs. It took several months of practice to feel comfortable tongue blocking. It took some more months to be able to bend in a tongue block. But I slowly started to add it to my playing over the course of those several months. I do still switch between lip purse and tongue block in my playing depending on what works for me and the techniques needed. Once you get the knack for it you'll be glad you added it to your playing, especially the cool techniques. This is the right place to learn how to tongue block. Check out the lessons tab as there are beginning tongue block lessons. Be persistent and work on it gradually. Don't feel like you have to tongue block everything right away in your playing. Work on the tongue block exercises and slowly add into your playing, start with something easy and then build on it. Of course always feel free to ask David if you have questions, he can certainly help clarify.

BC

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Thu, 11/26/2015 - 10:21
#3
d.adams
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Joined: 11/25/2015
Tounge block

My wife might tell I am really good at  this, but I digress. I am a newby, 70 years old newby. I am not new to music. Some basic training over the years, baritone euphonium, guitar, banjo, autoharp, now harmonica.

I get it that single note mastery is fundamental to a good piece. I probably solo for my own enjoyment most. I have a harp support for my neck to play along with myself. But I am stuck on getting good single notes. My audio memory of the scale of the harp that I am using fades as I hunt and peck for notes that I might not be able to get the sound of. This is frustrating. I started my learning routine just myself, and progressed to Internet videos showing lip pursing. The advantage for me of lip pursing is one moves to where one will find the note, not away from the note as it seems with tounge blocking. Again scale orientation is frustrating.

I have a Lee Oskar C Major Diotonic, a Honer Special 20 C, and a Super Chromatica 64 which I like the most, as I am starting to be able to feel the holes with my tounge, but I mostly purse this one.

I am encouraged to read other peoples notes of time it takes to  "get it" and that makes your course most worthy of following.

Encouragement. My music ear is not bad as I can usually hum a tune after I first hear it, but my memory fades over time. Age I think. Phrasing and intonation only come after practice. 

Any advice you can offer will be gratefully recieved.

Best Regards

David Adams

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Sun, 12/06/2015 - 06:58
#4
harpsquealer
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Joined: 03/08/2014
My Experience

Hello David,

I have been playing harmonica for a couple of years now. It has taken a long time for me to feel confident in single notes. I struggled for a long time and wondered if I would ever get it (I don't think that it was an age thing since I am not even twenty yet :D). I felt like I would never get it and I was really frustrated for a long time. Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly I began to play without the frustration and now I can play almost second nature, but it took a LONG time and lots of practice.

Don't give up when it is really difficult. It pays off.

If you are interested, I keep a blog about my experiences learning the harmonica and the frustrations I have encountered. (https://harpsquealin.wordpress.com/)

keep on harpsquealin

harpsquealer

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Sat, 03/26/2016 - 15:36
#5
andersaurus
andersaurus's picture
Offline
Joined: 10/31/2014
Switching to tongue blocking

I have been pucker playing for about a year now and always felt like I was missing something by not tongue blocking, so this Friday I decided I would try and tongue block. By using what I had learnt from pucker playing I was able to get my tongue blocking up to a reasonable standard within a day... It's not that different to pucker playing, the trick is working out what you need to do with the tongue to get those bends to sound. 

The best piece of advice I could give you is not to over-think it, take your time and don't think to much about what you are doing and experiment with your tongue placement.

Good luck.

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