Better sound on draw notes with "open nose"
Hi, I'm a total beginner. There is no search feature in the forum, so I couldn't check if this was already answered somewhere.
I noticed that on 1 draw and 2 draw I got a much better sound when also inhaling with the nose. As soon as I tried not to, the sound became dull, and easily flat.
I supposed this was caused by a raised tongue as a kind of side-effect of not breathing with my nose. So I tried for 1 week to change the way I "close" my nose. If I keep my nose open and close it with two fingertips, the sound is good and resonating. I tried to keep the same sound and minimise the stream of air I felt on the fingers.
I only partially succeeded. I got rid of the flatness on my Special 20 (in C), and most of the dullness, but not all, and there is a small delay before the sound comes out, compared to other holes.
On my Suzuki Bluesmaster in A (I tried a different model for a test), 1 draw is now in the same state, but 2 draw is resisting a lot, both flat and dull... but good as soon a I release my nose (I could manage to inhale less, but not block it totally).
Is this connection between nose and tongue position a known problem? Is there some specifig advice of how to train that?
Should I accept a little air through the nose and fix that later? Or is it likely to become a bad habit, and I had better fix it now?
Thanks for any advice,
Éric
I have solved most of the problem!
What worked for me was initially something I tried for the tongue-switching exercise. I used my right hand to push the harmonica more deeply and firmly in my mouth. And instead of having my tongue "push" forward to meet the holes, just try to move it lightly. This way my tongue was more relaxed.
When I got that to work, I tried the 2 draw, and it was good!
What did not work for me before:
- Actively trying to "do something" with my tongue, like "lowering" it, or "not raising" it. I suspect that whatever I tried to do was in the end raising it. The mirror was a good way to see what a raised tongue is, and control it "by view", but with the harmonica in mouth it didn't help.
- Focusing too much on the fact that it was better when not closing the nose. I wanted to take that as a reference, trying somehow to keep my nose open without inhaling. I could not find how.
I still am not aware of exactly how my tongue is... I suspect just more relaxed.
Shortly after that, I groked the throat tremolo. I suppose the more relaxed tongue did that, too.
I was so thrilled about all this that next I spent hours on the harmonica on "Tongue Blocking Study 1"...
So, the key for me was to really push firmly the harmonica deep. But I still have a doubt. Now, tilting the harmonica in my mouth makes things harder; I have to keep it straight. So I fear my "solution" might be flawed, since tilting is advised.
My next question: is it possible that I put the harmonica too deep in the mouth?
I'm glad that you're making progress ÉricD.
I'm sorry that I failed to mention using a light touch with your tongue on the face of the harmonica. I state this often in the beginning lessons (Blues Harmonica Fundamentals, Tongue Blocking Study 1, Contributor Sharon Barrett, and Contributor Hob Bosold), so I assumed that you were already doing that and jumped right to the common issue of the tongue... I'm glad you figured it out.
You'll note that in my teaching that I also tilt the face of the harmonica downwards (the side of the harmonica facing you... the hole side). This gives you more access to the wider, top of the tongue, and as you stated, you only need to slightly move your tongue towards the harmonica... it's more like you're bringing the harmonica to your tongue as you place it into your mouth.
Watch how deeply I place the harmonica in my mouth... if you're placing yours much deeper than me, I would say that it's not good.
Of course, I was trying to do right as you explained. I thought that I was doing as lightly as I could... while actively seeking to put my tongue left or right to block holes. To me, being light meant "not to push". The problem (I think) is that anything I tried to "actively do" with my tongue, including aiming left or right, involved raising it. With the mirror, without harmonica, I could bring my tongue at rest, but somehow it was not the same with the harmonica.
I think my tongue had to be tamed somehow. The temporary step in the process was to put the harmonica really deep, deeper than you... (and than me now). It was deep to the point it could hardly be tilted, which was annoying me.
I think the (transitory) point of it was that my tongue had no longer to "aim" for holes to block, but had to "make way" for the hole being aggressively pushed toward it. And this is the shift of focus that makes sense now: I no longer feel that I "put the tongue left" (or right for hole 1), but that I "make way to the right". I kind of inverted the intended direction I give to my tongue, and this is a more consistent feeling for me.
With that shift of intention, now I am able to put the harmonica back where I can tilt it again. And I feel it is indeed lighter than before. The tongue rests naturally, neutral, until I switch it. Being light was not "do no push" but "do not aim". Does it make sense to you?
Before that, I had worked for a day with the really deep harmonica. I think it kind of "tamed" my unstable tongue.
Now I can even try puckering, and it works also for 2 draw on the A harmonica without opening my nose. But if I try puckering as the first thing when I start a harmonica session, wrong tone is back (unless I open my nose: I still do not understand what happens then). I turn to tongue blocking, do some exercise, and then puckering becomes good. But I am unable to tell the difference in terms of "how my tongue is"!
My tongue has learnt to relax, but I'm still poorly aware of its position. For example, I have trouble finding the good spot for octaves (exercise 1.1), the result is still random. Anyway, I'm now much more confident I will learn that in time!
Sorry for the long answer, I didn't want you to think I had not tried to follow your instructions.
Éric
Thank you for the detailed explanation Éric... this makes perfect sense. What you're feeling is the trial and error of the learning process (especially for this invisible instrument). Consistency will come with practice and time. I'll look forward to your first submission when you're ready.
P.S., when the nose is open, the cumulative tuning of your mouth and nasal cavity is much lower than any bend possible on the 2, and thus it sounds natural. When your nose is closed, your mouth cavity is tuned to a pitch (due to tongue location), slightly below the 2 draw pitch and creates a bend. This is an unwanted effect now, but one that will be desirable later when you learn how to bend. If you would like to learn how the physics work, check out my MRI Bending paper in the Bending Study 1 lesson.
Hello Éric. This is an extremely common issue. You're correct that your tongue location is the issue (the fact that opening your nose fixes it confirms this). Go to this page https://www.bluesharmonica.com/faq and watch the video titled "My 2 draw and/or high-end notes sounds flat, airy or not at all!"
P.S., the 2 draw is a challenging note for new players to play, this is why I don't commonly use the 2 draw in the first couple of beginning levels (this gives you time to develop awareness of where the tongue is in the mouth).