Tongue Blocking and Shake
Sat, 08/10/2013 - 15:12
Hi,
I'm currently going through Walk with Me 1st lesson and I'm unclear about using the tongue with a shake? I find it much more comfortable to keep the tongue off the harp or is there a technique that I'm missing using the tongue while playing a shake?
Hello scottwebstar. There should be no difference in feel between puckering or tongue blocking your shakes. Make sure that you're using a light touch with your lips and tongue on the face of the harmonica when tongue blocking. We naturally feel most comfortable doing what we do most often, so it's good to practice the tongue block version until it feels natural... this way you don't HAVE TO switch to a pucker when you shake... let the line choose which is most appropriate for a given lick.