Tongue blocking
Hi David. I am completely new to tongue blocking so please forgive my ignorance. I noticed in your video in Blues Harmonica Fundamentals: Playing Single Notes (Tongue Blocking), there is a close up clip where you show your tongue pushed up against the Tongue Block Trainer, blocking the first three holes. Although you say to only use a light touch with the tongue, the flesh of your tongue appears to protrude through the holes a little. Well, I am having no problem finding the single notes but I am experiencing difficulty sliding the harmonica from one note to the next because it feels like my tongue doesn't want to slide easily when it is pressed against the holes. I realise that this take time and practice, but if I reduce the pressure (touch) of the tongue when trying to slide the harmonica, I loose the seal on the holes, so to speak. Your advice on how to position the tongue when playing single notes is very concise and detailed, but you don't describe in detail what to do with the tongue when sliding the harmonica across your lips to change notes. (That is not a criticism, just an observation). Please could you advise me how I should approach this. Unfortunately the Tongue Block Trainer is not easily available in England.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your advice.
Hi David, i've been playng harmonica for three months as pucker, and i'm trying to tongue block, but the whole two doesn't sounds goog, and when i try the octave 2-5 it doesn't even make a sound. as pucker my 2 goes well and the other octaves, 1-4, 3-6, etc is going well too. i watched your explain in the FAQ about whole 2 but i still have these problems with it tongue blocking, can you help me with that?
thank you for the support!
Ps.: i'm brazilian, so forgive me for a possible english mistake in this message.
Ps.2: i cannot shake tongue blocking too.
Hello Joaodagaita. The 2 draw is a sensitive hole... it will take time to get it.
Try playing 2+, making sure your mouth cavity is large (back of tongue is lowered) and then play your 2 draw. Also check that your tongue is lowered in the middle and back by taking the harmonica out of your mouth and looking in a mirror. You might be surprised that the back of your tongue is humped up. It will take practice to get that sucker down.
Do the same with the 2+-5+... then play 2-5. Playing the blow with a yawn-like embouchure and then moving to the draw tends to help people.
Good luck with this. Have patience... it will come.
I made a tongue block trainer out of a used milk bottle. It works well for me!!
Great!
Hey David!
First off your classes are great, I just picked up the harmonica about a month ago and am really enjoying. Ive been learning the walk with me study song and the first chorus is going great. I have a question about the second chorus when moving from the three hole to the two hole should I be sliding the harmonica further to the right which seems easier or should i be moving my tongue fom the left to the right and block it that way.
Thanks!
I'm glad you're enjoying your lessons Michaelstarbird8. Yes, just slide the harp to move from hole 3 to 2. The only time you'll tongue switch is for hole 1.
Hi David,
Thanks for letting me access your site thru the purchase of a Hohner Marine Band harmonica. It's full of geat info and I've found your guest interviews to be extremely insightful.
I wanted to introduce myself to you since I'm relocating to the San Francisco area in the next couple of weeks. My name is Dave Prez and I've been playing harp (Blues) for a little over 40 years now. I've lived near family here in Phoenix for last year and a half, Philadelphia the year before that and Houston year before that. The majority of last 20 years have been split between Seattle and Phoenix.
I met Aki Kumar and played at his jams late last month. I sent you an earlier email about the 2 hole whole step bend octave I stumbled upon where if you play the 2 hole whole step bend out of left side of your mouth (Tongue Blocking) and then bleed in the 5 hole draw out of the right side of your mouth, you'll get a nice octave sound using the combination of those two notes at the same time. If done correctly you'll get only the two notes simulateously an octave apart without any notes bleeding in. Thanks for answering my email promptly, I watched your interview with Todd Parrot and heard him do those splits which sounded great.
I'd love to grab a beer or coffee sometime with you and Aki once I get settled in. It'd be a great honor for me. Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Dave Prez
Hello Dave, I remember your email. Best wishes on your move to SF, it's a great area to live... tons of blues harp around. Yes, I look forward to that beer sometime.
Thanks Dave I'll contact you when I've settled in.
Hello simzey. I do push a little harder with the Tongue Block Trainer, just due to the shape being a little bit different than the face of the harmonica (in order to show my tongue without shadow to the viewers on camera I make the TBT more flat, making it a little harder to make a seal).
In your case you need to use a little bit more of the top of your tongue, which is wider. Any time you need to push onto the face of the harmonica to close off the three holes, lighten your touch and focus on using a little more of the top of your tongue (reminder... angling the face of the harmonica slightly downwards is helpful... up to 45deg).
You'll do nothing different with your tongue when playing on the harmonica... it looks and feels the same from one hole to the next. Set your embouchure and play.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance.