David's Tip of the Day: Seal of the Pull

When I describe the pull technique in Tongue Block Study 2, I state to stick your tongue out slightly to cover the entire face of the harmonica... this creates what Joe Filisko calls a "Full Block," a position where nothing is open and no reeds/notes are sounding. The tongue then release off of the face of the harmonica to create the pull technique (the chord sounds).

Winslow Yerxa, in his latest book release "Blues Harmonica for Dummies," describes it in terms of how a "P" works in speech. When saying "P," both lips touch (bilabial) and then release, creating a short burst of air (known as a "plosive"). You can create the same effect by having your lips in the normal playing position, sticking the tongue out, filling in the opening of your mouth, thus creating a seal between your tongue and your lips. When pulling the tongue back for the "pull" technique, you achieve the same plosive effect as the spoken P.

Both ways of thinking about the technique result in the same outcome, though one of these descriptions most likely makes more sense to you than the other. Just something to think about in regards to one of our three most common tongue block techniques (slaps, pulls and octaves).