Too much saliva?
Mon, 04/06/2020 - 08:17
Hello David, congratulations for this site! I´m three weeks whit the lessons and they are very instructives even for my poor english level.
I practice with a Honner Special 20 harp, and I have this problem: the draw reeds are blocked very often and I can´t draw and make sound. I have to stop, tap the harmonica for remove the saliva, and then I can replay. But its very very often, I can´t play 12 bars in a row whitout blocking one or several draw reeds.
Am I doing something technically wrong? Is there any way to avoid it?
Thaks you in advance,
best regards!
Thank you JorgeS, I'm glad you're enjoying your studies.
This is a common challenge for players in their first year of study. Here are some tips for you...
1) Head Up - Gravity does a good job of flowing saliva into your harmonica if your head is not level. Raise your music stand (or raise your computer monitor if you're reading from the lesson PDF) closer to eye level, so that you're looking forward, not downward. Not only will this help with saliva, but your neck will be less tired after practice sessions and your tone may improve (less constriction of the throat).
2) Light Touch - Use a light touch with your tongue and lips on the face of the harmonica. The harder you press your tongue on the face of the harmonica, the more saliva you're likely to push into the harp. Using a light touch is also important for good tone, speed (imagine the tongue getting stuck in the holes as you move), and hole accuracy for pretty much any of your tongue block techniques.
3) Tilt the face of the harmonica downwards - This is what I teach in the beginning lessons in regards to good technique for general embouchure (how you place the harmonica in the mouth), but it's also helpful for this saliva issue. Review the basic lessons on how to play a single note on the harmonica for visuals of this.