Sound of Rushing Air, or None At All
Sat, 03/22/2025 - 11:45
Hi David - After learning To pucker play over the last year, I'm taking your course and am on LOA 1. Tongue blocking all the time is new to me. Not sure I have it because I can detect the sound of an air leak somewhere when I play, or, at times my tongue seems to big and there is no sound. Not sure if it is an emboucher issue, 4-hole coverage issue or, after holding w my right hand for a year, not I'm letting my left hand get in the way. I'll keep at it but would appreciate the benefit of your experience teaching an old dog (I'm 64), new tricks. Thanks
mark
Hello Mark, welcome to the site.
It's not just tongue location on the harp that can cause these issues. If the middle and back of your tongue are raised, this can also happen. By unintentionally tuning your mouth to a pitch that the reed(s) you're playing do not like, air will pass through the harmonica without it going 100% towards the vibration of the reed(s). Check out the first video here: https://www.bluesharmonica.com/faq
In regards to tongue placement on the harmonica...
Do you own (or have you made) a Filisko Tongue Block Trainer? If not, this is a great way to see what's going on, instead of guessing. Here's a lesson on how to use it, as well as a great overview of the different tongue block techniques (and visuals), so I think going through this lesson will be helpful, even if you don't own a TBT https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/tongue_blocking_study_25
Report back after some experimentation.
P.S., here are some other lessons where I walk students through tongue blocking... watching these (and how the students struggle and figure it out) will help.
"Lesson 1 – Playing a Single Note" https://www.bluesharmonica.com/contributor/sharon-barrett
"Lesson 1 – Putting the Harmonica in Your Mouth" and onwards https://www.bluesharmonica.com/contributor/hob_bosold