lip pursing and tongue blocking
Hi guys. I picked up blues harmonica about 4 years ago and practice daily. I love it as much as you do. The thing is, I spent all that time learning as a lip purser, only to find out relatively recently that tongue blocking is the way professionals play. I'm aware of all the advantages of tongue blocking. It did sort of suck to learn that everything I was doing was more or less wrong, and that I must start over. At this point, I'm a lot more comfortable with tongue blocking, and I can bend with my throat instead of just lips. I can do scales in 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions.
What I want to ask is this: to draw bend on holes 1 and 2, do you play that out of the left corner of your mouth? I saw a player named Rob Papparrozi on here say that he lip purses his bends on holes 1 and 2, and tongue blocks from 3 up. Is that what you do? I'm just trying to figure the best way to get good bends on the low holes by tongue blocking.
I tongue block holes 2-10 100% of the time and pucker hole 1 sometimes. If I tongue block hole 1 I play it out of the right side of my mouth with my tongue on the tab that extends to the left. If I tongue block the 1 from the left side I don't bend it's just for convenience sake.
I started with the pucker embouchure when I first started with Dave 15 or 16 years ago. That's what he taught at that time... to pucker except for times when we needed to perform a technique that required the tongue. I could never imagine bending with the tongue block embouchure. But that all eventually changed when Dave switched to the tongue block embouchure. I haven't looked back since. Although it was a real challenge to switch and I had a lot of questions like your asking. Joe Filisko was a big help.
hey, thanks a lot fellas. That really helps. When I practice today, I'll try those things.
I can see what advantages tongue blocking has: playing the octaves, like being able to play a I chord in third postion, the 1 and 4 draw, and tongue slaps. I do have trouble blow bending on 9 and 10 with the tongue block. I dont seem to be able to push enough air through there to blow bend it.
This is a great website and I've learned a lot from Dave, if only over the internet, and thanks for helping me. I love blues harmonica and bought books and learned online for 4 years.Of current players, My favorites are Dave, and Ronnie Shellist, Adam Gussow, Paul Lassey, Christelle Berthon, Dennis Greunling.
I just ordered a Suzuki Overdrive harmonica in a High G. The way I understand it, that means it's a G harp but one octave up from the regular G. So the 4 blow on the regular G harp would be the 1 blow on the High G?
if you like rock and blues harmonica, check out a kid on the internet named Jackie Greene....go to youtube..he is one of my favorites....cheers man,
Many pros pucker. Paul Butterfield and Sonny Terry are two examples. I don't think there is anything 'wrong' with puckering. However, I am now convinced that tongue blocking is best for Chicago style blues. Like you I puckered for years. It has taken be a year or so to get fairly comfortable with tongue blocking. I'm really enjoying it.
For hole 1 usually tongue switch (play out of the left side of my mouth) unless it's too fast. I always tongue block all draw bends from 2 on up. I'm still working on tongue blocked blow bends on the upper holes. I still usually pucker up there to get the bends. I can bend holes 8 and 9 tongue blocked, but not with enough control to reliably hit the note starting bent.
Steve
hey steve, thanks for the encouragement. I'm more and more comfortable with the tongue blocking, It's even to the point that lip playing feels unusual. I see the versatility of tongue blocking, though I'm not as skilled at it. I cant, for example, just automatically land on a 3-6 blow octave. I'm all over the place, or a 4 and 8 draw. But at least I understand what I'm trying to to, and with time and practice comes the experience needed to succeed..
I misread one fellow's posting to my question about tongue blocked blow bends. He said he purses them too. That's still how I do it, but I'm trying to acquire the skill. Try "Boogie on Reggae Woman" by Stevie Wonder, with an Ab diatonic harp, and do the solo with the blow bends on 8 and 9. I just cnat make it sound like he does if I'm tongue blocking. (He also blows and draws 7, and draws 6. I think that's the notes for the solo in the middle).
Another question if you dont mind. As a lip purser with strong lungs, I've blown out tons of Hohner harmonicas over my 4 years. Always the 4, 5 or 6 reed. Hohner said it's because I play too strongly. I've noticed that with tongue blocking, I cant generate anything approaching the wind force of lipping those notes. Will I destroy fewer harmonicas by playing mostly tongue blocked? well, thanks for listening and helping me...RevolutionMan
There's some good reasons to play softer. One being that you'll save your harmonicas from damage. If you play at 40% of your power you have a lot more range in dynamics, your technique will get better (you'll be forced to use the proper embouchure for your bends), etc.... I don't know that you will have any less force on the reeds with tongue block than pucker but if that's the case for you... cool.
Work on playing soft I reckon it helps you play relaxed. I still play too hard when the band is loud.
I think you should be able to play with the same dynamic range with either embouchure. At first, I couldn't play as strong or loud tongue blocked. At the time I also thought maybe that was just a 'feature' of TB. In hindsight I think it was because my tongue was blocking some of the hole I was trying to play. Or maybe it was something else. But anyway now I can play as loud with either approach, and my tone is fuller sounding tongue blocked. So I wouldn't worry about it - eventually your dynamic range will be the same.
Having said that it's good to play softly. I also tend to play too loud sometimes.
Cool Stevie solo. I hadn't heard that one. I can't even begin to sound like Stevie no matter which embouchure I use! I'm not sure, but I think Stevie puckers. Does anyone know for sure? Winslow? If you're trying to sound like Stevie, then maybe tongue blocking isn't something you need to focus on. But if you want to sound like the Walters, the Sonny Boys, Cotton, Piazza, Hummel, Barrett, etc, then I think tongue blocking (at least for the draw bends) is necessary.
Steve
I'm not absolutely certain about Stevie (as in, "this is what he told me to my face"), but all the evidence points in the direction of pucker:
-- He never uses tongue techniques - no slaps, lifts, rakes, or shimmers for instance.
-- His famous "Stevie Pizzicato" where makes the note pop, requires your tongue to be free in your mouth.
Hey Man
I Lip Purse Hole 1, but Tongue Block all other holes in 2nd + 3rd Position
In 1st Position I Play the same on The Low End, But now I change my embouchure and Lip Purse All Blow Bends & Draws on the High End
I Lip Purse the Overblows on holes 4,5 & 6 when I use them in a phrase
P.S.
A good reference for the different preferences on lip pursing & tongue blocking by each pro
is in Dave's "Artist Comments" on this lesson
(Check out Mark Hummel's Comments for example, very revealing)
http://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/tongue_blocking_1