Tip of the Day

If you have a good cup on the harmonica, you can move any digit and achieve a Wa Wa... give this a try. If you don't hear a difference in sound with just a little bit of movement, it means you have some leakage. Try cupping the harmonica, then dropping the harp in your lap... keeping your cup intact... and blow into your cup (hands against your face, just like when you play) and where air leaks out is where you'll need to seal more when you have the harp in your hand.
 

When you're asked to sit in with a band or you're playing in a jam session where you can play more than one song, choose to play your least demanding song first. It takes most people one song to warm up. Most players, myself included, will tend to be a little anxious and get a little dry mouth when first jumping up to play. Choosing a less challenging song to start with helps to get your juices flowing, gives you a chance to drink water somewhere within the song, helps you to become comfortable with the setting you're playing in and get used to the way your equipment sounds. continue reading...

The most common articulation used when tongue blocking is KA, which is the back of the tongue. The most common articulation used when puckering is either TA or KA. When using TA and then KA you get what's called Double Tonguing, which is a very fast way to articulate. This is one of the main reasons for puckering some passages... not the speed of playing, but the speed of articulation.

If you use more of the top of the tongue for your tongue blocking you'll find that you can use a lighter touch (tongue is wider the farther you go back = better coverage with less "push") and you'll be able to perform pulls more easily (a pull requires you to cover four to five holes... better coverage makes this technique much easier). With this lighter touch you'll also find your playing to be faster (less drag). Tilting the harmonica (face down... towards your tongue) and placing the harmonica a little bit deeper in the mouth will achieve this. continue reading...

There are three levels, via technique, of how powerfully you can play the high-end of the harmonica.

1) Single notes with conviction
2) Slaps, which brings in the texture of the preceding chord = more powerful
3) Octaves, which supports each note played with its octave below brother = most powerful

So, when playing a heavy, powerful blues solo on the lower six holes and you want to go to the high end, octaves are your best bet to match that intensity.
 

The less harmonica you hold in your hands, the more you can have in your mouth. The deeper you have the harmonica in your mouth (within reason of course), the bigger the tone. Once you have the correct depth in your mouth, your hands should touch your lips. This lip-hand, flesh-to-flesh connection, is part of your airtight cup for both amplified playing as well as acoustic techniques such as the Wa Wa (which both require an airtight cup). continue reading...

Building on yesterday's tip... blow bends require an even smaller embouchure... as small as you can get it. Keep in mind that the bending process and movement is the same as for draw bending, your tongue still humps up and moves back. If your tongue has to move forward to create a blow bend, your tongue was not far enough forward to begin with. Give it a try!

When playing on higher-keyed harmonicas you'll want to focus your bending process more forward in your mouth. Use more of the FRONT of the tongue, humping it up more FRONTAL in your mouth. The higher your bend, the smaller the chamber in your mouth needs to be. Grab your D Harmonica. Play a bend on 1, then 2, 3, 4, 5 and then finally on 6. continue reading...

If you're playing a lower harmonica and you're having difficulty with the lower bends, such as the 2", dropping the jaw can be helpful. Dropping the jaw lowers the resonant pitch of the mouth and will reduce how much you have to hump/pull back/stretch your tongue to achieve the bend.

If you find yourself playing on the high end of the harmonica and your draw notes have a tendency to squeal or note sound at all... play softer, drop your jaw and drop your tongue to floor of the mouth (a slight yawn will do this). Your tongue is resposible for all good and evil on the harmonica... if it sounds good, thank your tongue... if it doesn't, blame yourself for not getting the tongue out of the way! ;-)