Five Hole Octaves
Thu, 08/02/2018 - 18:12
Hi Dave,
I'm really struggling getting five-hole octaves right. Do you have any tips I might try beyond what is in the lesson videos?
I'm working with a tuner to try to determine when I've got the correct embouchure. With my F harp, I'll blow 7-10 to get the F, and then try to widen for the 6-10 draw and get the D, but I rarely get it clean if at all.
Like all new techniques, I'm sure I'll get it figured out eventually if I keep plugging away at it, but this is particularly frustrating because I can't really determine what I'm doing wrong.
Thank much.
Good morning. Yes, these are the main things to keep in mind...
1) Be wider than you think you need to be for the draw octave, and smaller than you think you need to be for the blow (focus on placing the harmonica deeper in your mouth for the draw... use more of the top of your tongue [it's wider and more easily covers more holes]... use a smile and frown to make your mouth wide, not tall).
2) Move in half-hole increments (your moth is dynamically changing in size, so it's not as simple as just moving to the right for the octave)
Keep at it, you'll get it!