5 draw bend
Mon, 07/11/2022 - 01:26
Hi David, hope you are doing well!
So here's the thing... I am now on skill level 3 of the lessons and I'm getting pretty good at bending on the harmonica. However, I can't seem to make the 5 draw move at all on my A harp. I opened it to see if any reeds were getting blocked and it seemed to me that everything was fined. Even so, I gave it a thorough cleaning just in case. It did not solve my problem. I tried the 5 draw on the G harmonica and I got a pretty solid bend. So why is it that I can't make my 5 draw on the A harmonica move even slightly? Could it be that my A harp is just getting old and I simply need to replace it?
Thanks very much!
Hello Francisco. I am good, thank you... I hope the same for you.
Issues are rarely the fault of the harmonica. If it were anything, it would be that the 5+ reed is stuck (bends activate the other reed in a slot). In this case, you would check by blowing on the 5+... if it does't sound, you'll need to free the reed. The best test is grabbing another A Harmonica and trying to bending the 5--if it bends, then it IS the harmonica.
Each key of harmonica bends differently, because each reed is a different pitch. Bend your 6 and make note of your tongue position. Do the same for the 4. The bend position for the 5 is between those bends.
Experiment, experiment, experiment... you will get it.
P.S., the 5 bends LESS than a half-step, so don't expect a deep bend... it's only a slight change. Reference the bending lesson again on the 5 for an example.