Attempts at Bending
David,
I'm rather stuck in bending purgatory (LOL). Using an iPhone app called Bendometer to guage my bending on an A harp, I experience following:
1': This is an issue for me as I do not tongue block the 1 but lip purse instead. I first learned (and I use this term loosely) to lip purse and have had a very tough time tongue switching. How can I bend by lip pursing the 1 draw?
2': At will but very airy
2": Not at all
3': At will but not stable and a bit airy
3": At will, more stable than the 3' but more airy too; I think it's more stable because this is my limit on this draw so it's easier to hit and hold the limit than a partial bend like the 3' but it's also very airy as well.
3"': Not at all; as I said above, the 3" is my limit on this.
4': Barely, but very unstable and very airy.
6': Barely, but also very unstable and very airy as well.
Note, this "airiness" often sounds like slurping a straw. There's no way this can be ignored.
So, my questions are:
1. In trying to master bending, Should I concentrate on trying to master one hole before proceding to the others or should I try each of them a bit till I master them all?
2. Again, how do I bend the 1 draw by pursing instead of tongue switching? Is there a resourse on your site or another that you can direct me too?
3. Can you suggest anything to avoid the "slurping" sound that accompanies my bending?
I know this is difficult in the abstract but I would appreciate any help you can give me.
Thanks in advance,
Ace
PS: I'm using a Hohner SP20 and occasionally a Rocket, both with similar results.
Wow, this is really excellent insight, especially re the 3”’. Thank you.
Hello Ace. Holes below...
1 - Focus moving your tongue back more, not up (in a pucker)
2" - Will come with time... focus your movement to the soft-palate, behind your molar area
3''' - Don't try for now... it's not a bend you'll use in 2nd Position until L5 bending, and can cause problems for your other 3 bends
4-6 - Focus on using more of the middle-front of your tongue, further forward in your mouth
Answers to your questions below...
1 - All at the same time. Use your best (most consistent) bend as your gauge. If it's your 3, then you know you need to use more of the front of the tongue, further forward in your mouth... for the 2, you need to use more of the back of the tongue, further back in your mouth
2 - Same theory of bending as tongue blocking. Focus on moving your tongue straight back (of which it can move further than in TB)
3 - This is tough... you're new at this, so you're exploring and using muscles that are not needed later, but are hard to avoid using right now. It doesn't take more pressure, volume and muscle to bend than to move your tongue in a normal manner, but it's tough to tell someone to relax when they're trying hard to do something. Precision and good tone will come with time.
Experiment, experiment, experiment. You have all the theory you need in Bending Study 1... all the fact are there. With that said, all I can do is point you in the right direction... bending is all up to the user to explore and find, over time, and tens of thousands of reps. You WILL get it... it will just take you a lot longer than you think it should take... it's this way for all of us :-) Keep at it, you WILL get it!