It happens every once in awhile to my chagrin
Hi David;
About 1 in 20 times, sometimes more frequently, I have a frustrating occurance between bar 12 and 13 in Walk With Me, specifically going from the 3+ to 4. What occurs occaisionally is that coming from the 3+, my tongue wants to switch to the right to play 1 draw. I have no idea in hell why this is. It's very annoying. I have isolated the 2 bars and played it correctly countless times, but every once in awhile my tongue wants to switch to the right and play the 1 draw. I have even gone just between 3 blow and 4 draw to where I'm almost doing a trill. But even then about every 5th time my tongue goes to the 1 draw. When I get to that part in the song I concentrate on feeling my tongue at the left corner of my mouth and the feel of my tongue on the face of the comb, feeling the holes. It happens less frequently than when it first occurred but every so often it happens. Is it just a matter now of more correctly played reps with a laser like focus on my tongue poaition? And why would I have this little problem in the first place? I have no such problem in other parts of the song. Tried doing 3+ to 4 trills at a moderate tempo, and about every 5-6 times, it wants to play 1 draw. Is my tongue telling me to improvise at that place;o)
Thanks
Thank you for the encouragement David, about it going away at some point. It's the damndest thing! There's no rhyme or reason to it. Yes, it is very strange. I'm not having any issues with any of my other studies. I don't care for this problem at all, mainly because I haven't a clue as to why it's happening. Maybe because there is a 3+ in bar 7 which goes to a 1 draw in bar 9, and I learned that first. As I said, I just haven't a clue. Because of that, it's rather discouraging, though you did say that it'll go away eventually. I'm guessing you never encountered this random involuntary tongue switching with any of your former students.
I have seen this before, but it's rare and goes away quickly. Though discouraging, it will go away, so keep your spirits up!
Thank you for your encouraging words David. It helps very much! I know it will go away, I just don't know when, right :)
i really appreciate all the help you've given me.
The phenomenom was worse today. I practiced isolating 3+ to 4, and the majority of time it was okay, but occaisionally there was that 1 sounding instead of the 4. I held the tongue position a couple times, looked in my 5X mirror, and my tongue wasn't all the way switched to the right, it was in the middle. I came up with a solution for playing that pair for performing the song and it may be bad form but I said "screw it", I have to get through "Walk With Me" properly. Here's what I'm doing to perform that part correctly: After playing 3+, as I slide up to the 4, I remove, (for a microsecond, but in time), my tongue from the face of the harp, and reposition it back to a standard 3-hole tongue block, right before I play the 4. I know it sounds goofy, but after I submit the song I'll revert back to practicing 3+ to 4 normally. It's not the movement up the harp, as I have no problem playing the major scale multiple times and the tongue never moves to the right. Same as when I play "Amazing Grace". I guess it's some wierd mind issue. Maybe what I'm doing temporarily will help me get a head start on "fluttering" :)
Hello mainmark. That sounds like an acceptable fix for now, so go for it.
Another option...
Open your mouth more to begin with... have it over holes 2, 1, and some wood to the left. This way when sliding to hole 4, your tongue is already covering 1. I know this doesn't fix your issue of the tongue from wanting to dart to the right, but give it a try... your tongue might do well with keeping to one size the entire time (this is what I teach in the beginning lessons).
Thanks David. I'll give that a go as well. I just did what I said in my post above approx. 200 times with success, and where I began doing it more repidly than will be required at full tempo, near the end, but I'll try your suggestion too. Certainly after I submit "Walk With Me", if not before. Perhaps I need to do a binge watching of all the prior videos I've watched to see if I've forgotten or missed, anything else :)
Hello David and thanks for your suggestion of an alternate option. I believe it's going to work. I had limited time to practice today but i followed your suggestion and my tongue didn't dart to the right and I played chorus 2 several times without incident. I'm having internet connection issues with my computer, (I'm on my old iPad right now), so the binge watching of all the beginning videos will have to wait cause it won't be feasible for me to watch them all on this iPad for several reasons, so could you point me to the specific beginning video(s), where you cover putting the mouth over holes 1 and 2 and the wood to the left side as you stated in your suggestion? I'd greatly appreciate it. I'd like to review the pertinent videos.
Also is there such a thing as a tremolo emanating from just the mouth? I seem to be able to do that in addition to throat tremolo. I can do the "coughing" throat tremolo, but just as easily seem to do, and I'm not sure of the mechanics, a rapid tremolo effect that doesn't seem to be coming from my throat.
Glad to hear. Here they are...
https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/blues_harmonica_fundamentals
Playing Single Notes (Tongue Blocking)
https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/tongue_blocking_1
Chorus 2 - “Walk with Me” Study Song
https://www.bluesharmonica.com/contributor/hob_bosold
Lesson 1 – The Importance of Playing Softly
Lesson 1 – Putting the Harmonica in Your Mouth
Lesson 1 – Tongue Block Study 1: Tongue Block Single Note
Lesson 2 – Tongue Block Study 1: Single Note, Slap and Flutter Review
Lesson 2 – Tongue Block Study 1: Playing Hole 1
https://www.bluesharmonica.com/contributor/sharon-barrett
Lesson 2 – Tongue Block Study 1: Walk With Me, Chorus 2 and Playing Hole 1
It could be coming from your diaphragm. Focus on the throat, the vibrato (down the road) is dependent on it.
WOW, thanks David for the THOROUGH response! I really appreciate it. Right away I do see I need to avail myself more of the Hob and Sharon videos. I will definitely focus on throat vibrato as well.
Sure, happy to help.
Hello mainmark. Very strange. I'm sorry for the issue, but it's just a quirky thing for you... it will go away with time thankfully.