TA TA Articulation For Pulls
Hi David! I am working on the pulls in Gary's Blues and I have a question about your instruction in the technique section of the lesson.
The illustration of the TA TA articulation that you show us in the pucker version of the Pull, do we actually use this in our tongue block version of the pull?
In another way, if you had to play the pull in a tongue block and you did not do the TA TA sound could you still play it correctly? I am having problems getting a pluck sound or the TA TA sound in the pull.
I am covering the holes and I am trying to get the sound.
I did notice that if I tilt the harmonica up, like you show us, and have the left side of the harmonica angled in more that when I use my Bendometer I can see that after the pull I am barely playing the flatter notes. I watched and monitored Joe's lesson and saw that both of you after you did the pulls that the notes on the left barely played. I could not get this how I was holding the Harmonica squarely in front of me.
I now have the end of the harmonica inside my left lip that when I pull off the notes that are being played are notes that are lower than what I am playing.
In another words I feel like I am in the correct position but I am not getting the pluck sound. I can make it happen with the TA TA articulation.
After the 3 draw dip, on the first line of the song, do I set my tongue where I can feel my tip of my tongue right under my top teeth where I could do the TA TA and try to get the pluck?
I am not going to give up the technique. I am finding that the position of the Harmonica from just directly in front of me to a angled in seems to help.
I am trying to stick the tongue out more.
Thank you so much, David.
Will
I am going to get it. I am reviewing all of your material. It is the education of the tongue and the harp together. Thank you so much.
Using the TBT to see what the tongue is actually doing on the harp, not what you think it's doing, is SO helpful. Great to have such a tool now.
The "TA" is not a tongue block technique, it was used as something similar in sound. If you were a pucker player, this is how you would approximate the sound. Players that come to tongue blocking later in their training commonly pucker holes 1-3 and switch to TB on holes 4-10... so it's nice for them to have an alternative to the TB pull, and the TA does this.
You should only feel the left, inside edge of the harmonica in your mouth when tongue blocking 2, maybe three and not for 4 and above. For the 4, you might feel the edge, but it won't be in your mouth.
The "pluck" of the pull is the tough part, keep at it, you'll get it. Did you get the Tongue Block Trainer? that makes it MUCH easier to achieve the technique.