Tongue block-newbie.
I have trouble blocking 3 holes simultaneously. Is it ok to blow/draw a 3 note chord and just block 2 holes?
Appreciated! I will try those tips. Also, notes seem to bend or thin out on the draw. Any tips for that?
Nbelman: Again, a great question to ask David in his thread, as he's had decades of experience with many of his students facing the same issues. All I can contribute is my own individual experience. As you spend more time with the harmonica you'll be amazed at all the complicated and subtle things your mouth, throat and lungs can do. What you're experiencing, I also experienced and thought of as "accidental" bends, and difficulty with consistent breath. Maintaining intonation and consistency on draw notes is something that just takes time and repitition. David's lessons on breathing are a good start: https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/breathing_harmonica
Nbelman:
Ask this question of David in his "Ask Instructor David Barrett" thread here in the Forum, and you'll get an excellent answer. But in the meantime, from my Great America Novel "How I Learned to Tongue-Block," a couple of suggestions:
1. Get one of Joe Filisko's Tongue Block Trainers (e.g., at https://www.filiskostore.com/page/480389598), or make your own per Joe's instructions or per some instructions that have been posted here from time to time. I bought one when I was first starting out. Only used it for a week or so, but it was really helpful to visualize what was going on in my mouth. After that week or so I continued on by feel and sound.
2. Are you using a light tongue? From a lot of discussion here it seems from time to time that one thing that challenges new tongue-blockers is applying too much pressue to the face of the comb. Which makes movement difficult, and can effect just how much area one's tongue can cover. (Think of it like this: Soft butter spreads more evenly over the toast than hard butter.) Keeping air out of a hole on a harmonica takes very, very, very, very little pressure. And the less pressure, the more relaxed and effective your tongue-blocking.
3. Keep at it and don't get discouraged. As Dennis Gruenling famously says, "If you ain't blockin' you ain't rockin'." But even Dennis had to work at it. Slowly, a little bit at a time, over a long time.
Sure it's OK to just block three holes rather than four, but with four you get a lot of great new sonic ingredients for both pulls and slaps.
Eventually, four-hole slaps and pulls, five-hole octaves, etc. will come naturally. And maybe after that chording over three holes, where the center hole is just ever-so-slightly closed by the tip of the tongue. A technigue perfected by Buddy Greene for religious music he plays, and that remains a challenge for me when the music calls for doing it.
Good luck!