Tongue Blocking and Bending on the High End
Dave, I've seen several interviews with artists who say they only tongue block on the low end of the harp and pucker on the high end. It seems you (and others) would rather we tongue block all the way up the harp (unless I'm misunderstanding). If that's the case, do you recommend tongue blocking when bending on the high end as well?
As a particular example that has me wondering: Rod Piazza on "Murder in the 1st Degree" has a blow bend on the 9 hole during his live solo that is very powerful. Do you know if he tongue blocks up there or is he usually puckering that?
As someone who has lived and is living it, David's Comment must be dead on.
For my initial six months I was primarily puckering and learned bends in puckering. However it bothered me that the little sheet in the harmonica box showed a tongue block method, It was very awkward, and I was not sure why it was even mentioned. But to be safe I learned every song in both pucker and tongue block.
THEN......I had my first introduction to Dave Barret through a book a my local music store called Blues Harmonica Level 1 in the Tongue Block Style. Now I knew exactly why TB was so important to play the blues. From there I discovered all of his other books and CD's and when I got to Chicago Blues Harp level 1 I just took it for granted everything was to be tongue blocked. Thus all the bending exercises, including blow bends were done in tongue block.
Since I had no idea I was supposed to learn differently I was very surprised to find out during the various interviews on this website that blow bends (particularly the 10 hole) in tongue block was considered something difficult to achieve. Clearly, since I did not know any different it saved me that whole glass ceiling problem.
This is so much where I'm at - managing to stay tongue blocked and can draw bend (well feeling better about TB draw bends) and play in upper register tongue blocked and then I switch to pucker (getting better at quick switches - BUT). I cannot for the life of me get any clue as to what I should feel when blow bending in tongue block from 7 - 10. I try tongue positions, humping the tongue, standing on my head but so far, I just dream about one blow bend so I can feel what is happening, like I do for overblows when I first got them (yeah in pucker"")
Any tips or clues???? I do want to get there!!!
jjudson has it figured out. I do the same thing by keeping a harmonica in the car at all times and in every traffic jam out it comes and I start practicing some of the most boring things to practice (i.e. TB blow bends 8-10 for long times at a stretch).
In the meantime Hank, I would recommend starting blow bends on the G harmonica. After a few weeks of TB blow bends on the 10 hole and getting really comfortable with moving around from half step to whole step blow bends I graduated to the next higher key and etc. If you start out with the C , the precision required is very, very hard to feel unless your tongue, lip, and cheek muscles are already acclimated.
As a side note - Blow bending 8 and 9 is not the same as the 10. At least I have found that 8 and 9 require the pressure to be closer to your front teeth (front of the tongue pushed up toward the front teeth) whereas the 10 blow requires the pressure to originate about the middle top (not top) of the tongue toward the roof of your mouth. The middle top in this case being relative to the tip of your tongue. Frankly it's one of those do over, and over, and over things with a whole lot of misses in between. You have to be patient with this one.
Thanks - I appreciate the suggestions. I keep a Big Six Seydel in the care - not quite so noticeable - but obviously not much chance to practise high end stuff ;-) I'll take a 10 holer there from now on.
I just want to feel the action just once so I know what to shoot for. When I go to pucker to see/feel what is happening on the blow bend, it just doesn't seem to "translate" into the TB position. I'll keep working with the G harp and see if something miraculous will occur!!
The main focus on TB blow bends is to have your embouchure as small as possible... tongue humped up across the length of your mouth (so it fills up as much of the mouth cavity as possible) and very far forward in your mouth. Joe Filisko has a great way of describing it... try to make the smallest embouchure you can... very frontal... creating the smallest, thinnest, most wimpy tone you can produce... this will tune your mouth to a very hight pitch. As you find the bends, then you can work on opening it up to achieve better tone.
Start with the lowest harp in your bag... Low D if you have it... and work your blow bends... it will feel very similar to mid-range TB draw bends on a regular D... put on a jam track in the key of D (this is first position) and bend away. Once you're able to do this well for all the blow bends, move to the Low E, then Low F, then G and finally the A (most common harp to do blow bends on... A harp in 1st Position).
I started in a pucker as well... and can blow bend very well in pucker... I've been working on TB blow bends for years and am able to do it well on a G harmonica and lower... the 10" on an A harmonica still kills me though! We're all students! ;-)
Thank you, thank you, thank you - got my Low D out and worked on that mouth/tongue position on the 8 hole and thought I heard a change in pitch. Thinking it might be my eternal hope that influenced my ears, I turned on the tuner and giggled when I saw the LED shift to a the flat indicator. Finally having a feeling to associate with the bend I worked on it and it started to come - slowly but definitely. So now I have something else to practice - but at least the feeling associated with the TB blow bend. And it sure isn't a masterpiece of music when I jammed to the D jam track;-)!!!
Thank you!!
I think most of us have the same problem. I have been playing for about 5 years and when I began I got the impression that lip block and tongue block would get you to the same place. I went with lip block because I am a very "wet" player and I couln't keep the harp dry with tongue blocking. Trying to make the change is almost painful because I find myself not able to do things that I have been doing for years.
Yes, it's a pain... it all takes a lot of time... but, take your time, enjoy the journey!
I couldn't help but laugh at your last comment "I must have looked like an idiot to the other drivers on the road - blowiing away on a harmonica as I went." I think that all the time as it's some of my best practicing that I get in during the week on the days I personally drive by myself to and from work (when I'm not carpooling). I wonder how many more of us probably feel or have felt that way, or...flat out don't care what others think! As long as the COP doesn't find a problem with it :)
Yes, car practice is valuable time :-)
Learn all notes... all bends... in a TB. If you learn that way, it's no big deal. If you learned in a pucker first, like most of us have, then it's a bitch to learn. The last time I spoke to Rod I didn't ask him about that... but it doesn't matter, you get good at whatever you practice. Keep at it!