TB questions
hey david,
Been practicing hard to switch to a full TB embrochure. Have "My Blues" pretty down pat so I'm getting there.
I just have two quick questions:
- While pucker playing I would often articulate by making a "t" sound, particularly on draw notes. This seems impossible when tongue blocking. I try to replicate the sound with a "k", but it just isn't the same. Is this something I just need to practice more, or is it a sound I just need to remove from my technique?
- I've been flip floppinig between styles on the 1 hole. Sometimes I find it very easy to use a right TB, like when playing the common 1 to 4 riffs. But when I am moving fast between the 1 and a 2 holes with deep bends, I even find myself reverting to a pucker on the 2 hole. If I'm not deliberately slapping or chording, it just seems faster. What do you think?
thanks so much!
Anthony
Hello Anthony.
You were correct, Ka is the correct articulation to use in a tongue block. It will get better, and sound the same as your Ta in pucker, it will just take time/practice (I remember wondering this myself many years ago, but it just took practice/time). Focus on arching your tongue a bit, so that the "K" portion of your tongue (that touches the roof of your mouth) is the only part of your tongue that raises. If the entire tongue raises, the articulation tends to sound mushy, or even bent.
Stay in a TB for hole 2, don't deviate.
Puckering hole 1 is fine, but it's best to stay in TB so that you can (and are more likely to) use a TB technique (such as slap, pull, etc.). Again, with time/practice, you'll be able to TB bend and move as fast as your pucker.