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Forums :: Ask Instructor David Barrett

Throat vibrato on deep bends? and navigating between bent positions?

1 reply [Last post]
Sun, 12/12/2021 - 07:08
ÉricD
ÉricD's picture
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Joined: 04/16/2021

This week I suddenly succeeded in deep bending!

After months of struggle straining my tongue in different positions, I could only make shallow bends (and often not reaching a true half-step), and all that I was missing was actually "relaxing" my tongue. I suppose it *has* learned to keep the tip on the harmonica, and now I can trust that more.

Now, exploring this new area, I feel it's really like another "register", and I can't connect continuously for example from 3' to 3" or 2' to 2". I can reach one or the other, but not navigate between them in your Shh-Kee-Kuu manner. Even the couple of times I reached 3''', if was not from 3" but a kind of "missed" 3" going too low (and that I cannot yet reproduce at will).

Also, I noticed that 2" and 3" interfere with throat tremolo (at least as I do it). So my questions:

- Is throat tremolo still possible in those positions? Should another kind of tremolo come to the rescue? Or is it a hint that something is wrong in my new skill?

- Is it worth training now to go from ' to '' bends continuously, while bad habits are not yet enforced, or should I be confident that it can come later, and I should not worry about that now?

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Sun, 12/12/2021 - 07:55
#1
David Barrett
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ExpertHead InstructorTeacher 10Level 10
Joined: 12/20/2009
Hello ÉricD. I'm glad that

Hello ÉricD. I'm glad that your bending is coming along.

1) The throat tremolo is still valid--your neck/throat is still too tense in the bending process. As time goes on, you'll learn to relax all auxiliary muscles and the throat tremolo will come. With this said, the Chewing Vibrato (taught in the Tremolo & Vibrato lesson) is a great choice for the 3".

2) Your goal is definitely to be able to slur from 3 to 3" and 2 to 2" smoothly... time and practice... bending is work in progress over a long period of time.

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