3 hole draw bend (low harps)
Hi David,
My first post here ! I'm just too curious so I gotta ask, I'm studying "Gettin out of town" at moment. Well, if that sounds too ambitious at least I listen to it a lot : ) and there is a few place in the song where he sustain the 3 draw hole step bend on a low c. I can do it lip purse (couldn't sustain it TB) but I'm not sure if it's the way he did it because in your interview he said he TB pretty much all time.. (I TB everywhere else in the song but just can't seem to find the way to sustain the TB bend here).
Do you have any idea how he did it ? It'll be great to know how he does it actually, since I consider it one of his trademark. I'd like to know the trick of my harp hero !
Thank you
Thank you for your reply, yes it's kinda matter to me because what I'd really like to find out is his breathing pattern throughout this song. I'd like to find out how he keeps the whole song floating on the groove so smoothly, that must be something to do with how he combined TB with the breathing pattern (I think) but then I got stuck at the 3 draw bend that I can't sustain. I can switch to LP to get it but that will interrupt the flow of the breathing pattern somehow that's why I'm not sure how he did it. Thanks for the clarification.
This is one of the challenges of blowin' the harp... we just don't know... and there are no signs in many cases to which embouchure is used... so, in the end, we just need to make our best guess and go from there. A rule of thumb is to stay in tongue block as much as possible for this traditional style. Since Rick is still around, we can ask him... I just sent him an email.
Thank you so much for asking him for me, to hear something from him would be valuable. This site is just full of knowledge - anything about harps. I've learned a lot from here, I'm really really appreciate your help.
"When lazy, I'll switch to my lips in order to get an A note of any duration on the low C harp. I hate to tell a guy that, it might fuck up his work ethic. Dennis, on the other hand... Take care, Rick"
Thank you,
This probably means nothing to a lot of people but for me it's good to know that even TB is the top priority but for him it's not a must. This also explain the liveliness in his playin as well because I think with a strict tongue blocker you can hear the tense in the tone every once in a while especially the bends. I believe that even you can TB bend as good as LP to get all the bent notes but LP always has better control over it as well as the flexibility - it's just easier in the other words, and for him it's always sound so relaxing and in control so this is what I wanted to find out. You're surely make this place the best source for harp thanks and congratulations !
Rick is the reason I picked up harp, and luckily I've found the right sources on the internet like yours to keep me on the right track.
Cheers from Bangkok,
Puri
Happy to help. When someone starts in a pucker, like many of us have, it's hard to not go back into it when in need on a tough bend, like the 3" on a Low-C, but it really is laziness... keep working your tongue block bends... it's best to stay in one embouchure... that's what Rick was saying, and I agree. I still commonly pucker my 10"+, but I'm practicing my tongue block 10"+ and in my Germany concert at the end of the month you're going to hear it! Keep up the good work.
Most likely he tongue blocks it... but does it really matter? We know that this bend can be achieved in a tongue block... you can hit it now, but not sustain it yet... the key word there is YET. Keep at it, you WILL get it over time.