bending holes 2 and 3
Hi Winslow
My name is Phil Anderson. I have been a student of David Barrett for 5 years. I play every day and my wife and I have a duo called Harp and Harp. She plays classical standup harp. We play everything. David told me to contact you to get help with my bending to the F and Ab. Thats my problem is bending to those notes. I'm also not real good on the computer so it might take me a minute for some things. I'm also 69 years old and this is the only instrument I have ever played.
Thanks Phil
Hi, Phil, and sorry to take so long replying.
Are you referring to the bends in Draw 2 (F, two-semitone bend) and Draw 3 (Ab, three-semitone bend?)
What's the current state of your ability to bend those notes? How are you achieving those bends (lips, tongue, throat, angle of harmonica, anything else)?
Hi Winslow yes it is holes 2 and 3 in those bends. I am a good player and i use Harp ninja and i bend all the notes except Ab and i use several differant harmonicas to see that I'm getting it on all harps. I am a toung block player and I try using my toung to bend the notes.
Thanks Phil
When bending a note, you're actually tuning your oral cavity to the note. You can actually hear the tuned note in the sound of the air rushing through your mouth when your tongue is placed to create the bend (this is easier to hear when not tongue blocking, as you can actually inhale-whistle the note).
Pay attention to the middle of your tongue, roughly where you'd use it to make the K sound. I find that it rises to the roof of the mouth on both bends. When it doesn, there 's a small amount of tension in the airflow, where the air is trying to get through the narrowed passage created by the raised tongue.
Try using the syllables Kee-Koo, with Koo being the bent note. Also, try to *hear* the bent note as your desired outcome. Sometime the intention to create a sound can actually assist you to make it happen.
thanks for getting back to me. I'm trying but the low notes are not an easy thing to do. I will keep trying the Kee-koo and hopfully it will come out. Thanks again I'll let you know how I do.
Enjoy Thanks Phil
You might try those bends on different keys of harmonica, higher and/or lower than whatever you've been using. Sometimes you can leverate a bend that's working for you on another key of harp that's the same *note* (but in a different hole).
Hi Winslow
Thanls for the help on bending i think it has helped so thanks again. Maybe will meet at SPAH.
Enjoy thanks Phil
Hey man, were you ever able to get it? If I may share, uh, newbie to newbie....I suffered for like a year straight un-learning, then re-learning how to bend with proper form. Eventually realized my main problem was that I was squinching up my embouchure. For some reason that F was way harder than the Ab while tongue blocking, and just the opposite while using the pucker embouchure. Anyhow, keep experimenting, dude, you got this!
Phil: Are you asking Winslow about those bends specifically on the C harp? I.e., F and Ab via the 2" and the 3'''? Or are you asking about those bends on those holes generally, on any key of harp, e.g., Eb and F# on a Bb harp, as well? And, are you using a tuner to check pitches, e.g., HarpNinja or iStroboSoft? iStroboSoft is my "lie detector," and I didn't start getting bends with decent intonation until I started using that app while working on 'em.
Winslow: Don't let Phil fool you. He's actually a really good harp player!
I'll be really inerested in Winslow's tips. Great question, Phil.