Difficulty with draw 5 bend (A harmonica)
I've got pretty good at bending draw holes 1 to 7 on the A harmonica (with just 1 full-step for hole 3), but I don't know why I can't get the full bend for the draw 5! I can go from D to C# + 50% (I'm using a digital tuner) but, if I try to go below it, the reed stops making a sound and it starts to make a weird rattle (I can hear it vibrating inside the harmonica like it's vibrating slow) and my tuner says it's ringing a G (even though it's not hearable). Is something wrong with the harmonica or with my technique? It's the only hole I'm having trouble with.
Ah, so it's working all right, is bending exactly 1/4 step. I'll view again the lesson! Thanks!
My pleasure
I just looked the chart for the A harmonica, the lowest note for draw 3 is an F, so I was playing the lowest note already.. I tried now to achieve a F# (that is required for Feeling the Blues song) and I can only drop directly to F
This will take practice. In the video lesson I speak of the She Key and Koo locations of the tongue in the mouth, and to practice the slide between them. You’re humping the back of the tongue in the back of the mouth for the 3’’’’. To hit the 3” you’ll need to adjust your bend forward... more of the middle of the tongue, further forward in the mouth. Experiment, experiment, experiment... you’ll get it, but it will take time.
Hello tandeitnik. Review the bending lesson and the bending chart found in the lesson PDF. 5 draw cannot bend a half step... it only bends around a quarter tone. In the lesson I state why this is the case. I usually can't say it's the harmonica (it's usually the player's technique), but in this case, it is the harmonica!