Pull-slaps
I'm trying to work out how to do the pull-slap technique you mentioned in another thread. First of all, just to check I understand what it sounds like, are pull-slaps what I'm hearing on the Rice Miller lick at about 2:02 in the 'closing' video of Gary Smith's interview?
If I take a standard boogie line like example 2.1 in solo harmonica study 2 - at the moment, I would slap at the start of each note and pull after each note. But to do a pull-slap, am I right in thinking that, for every note, I would have to have my tongue on the harp first, then pull it off, then slap the note, then put the tongue back for the next note, etc.? Sounds very complicated! Based on my efforts so far, though, using pull-slaps makes a line sound louder and much punchier than it does when using slaps alone.
Your description is pretty much correct. For the downbeat single note you start with your tongue on all holes, pull off and slap back down immediately... that's the pull-slap... then you would pull for the upbeat chord (notated as the "X")... and yes, it will create a more articulated, more punchy passage. A side note... a pull-slap does not have to be loud or even that obvious... it's used on at least 50% of a classic blues harp player's draw slaps (especially on a shuffle)... also, you don't use them on blow notes, unless you're playing Sonny Boy I or II licks or pre-war blues. I don't teach the technique on the site due to the fact that it develops in most players' playing after a while if they use pulls and slaps... it's also a bear to describe and get someone to do... I like letting it slowly appear in a TB'ers playing after a while... got to love our bodies!