Slaps on hole 1
Tue, 06/09/2020 - 09:04
Hi David I'm looking at Loa2
solo harmonica study 2
Ex 1.4 E and F.
Is there a reason why we do not slap hole 1? Or is just because we need to tongue switch from 1 to 2 or from 1 to 3?
Asking because you said the slap notation will disappear after a while and I'm trying to understand if we never slap the hole 1?
Thank you
Hello EricMina.
It's not common to slap hole 1.
If your tongue is to the left (which is not as common for playing hole 1), then there's no chord for the slap. If you pucker hole 1, same thing.
If you tongue switch (tongue to the right), then the chord that precedes the 1 is higher in pitch than the target note (the 1). In all of our other slaps (holes 2 through 10), your tongue is to the left, so the chord that precedes the target note is of that note, and lower (it gives the feel that a low, supportive chord, sounds before the note). When we slap hole 1, that higher chord leading to the 1, sounds a little strange.
So, a rule of thumb is that we don't slap 1's. With this said, you can slap it, and in some cases it can sound cool, so give it a try and if you like it for a passage, use it.