Tongue Block Trainer - Tongue Block Trainer 2.5 Insight
Hi David. I have problems moving my jaw when I try to get more of the harmonica into my mouth and have it tilted up. I can hear the difference in tone, but if I have it back more I also have my tongue sticking out more. Maybe this is not a good practice, because it forces me to move my jaw side to side while I move the tongue inside my mouth.
I am watching you like a hawk with your Tongue Block Trainer usage with the new Tongue Blocking Study 2.5 lesson and it appears that you are moving the tip of your tongue. I am starting with the agility drill ex. 1.2.
I have a temporary TB trainer and will be ordering a real one today, but it looks like you are moving your tongue tip.
I can see that it is more accurate and sensitive.
When you do this are you still having the harmonica in deep? It looks like the front portion of your tongue is right over the top of your front teeth. I believe these are incisors.
Do I need to have the Harmonica deep laying across a larger area because of the tilting of the harp and still have the tongue tip being more accurate and over the incisors.
When I initially tried working with my makeshift TB trainer I was applying the wider part of my tongue onto the face of the trainer. I am having seconds thoughts if this is where it should be and where I am using my tongue when it touches the harmonica.
I really appreciate the 3 views that you are doing, no harp/trainer and then with the trainer and then the harp.
I also have to flip the image on the screen to get it into my point of reference as I sense where my tongue,trainer and harmonica are in the mouth.
Top notch instruction as always.
Will
David, what I was seeing is your tongue tip being even with the bottom incisors. I was sticking my tongue out, like when the doctor says say "Ah". Maybe not as drastic, but it does trigger the jaw when I am pushing out with the tongue.
I ordered the Tongue Trainer and it has really showed me other areas of what I need to work on.
Thank you and Joe for all of the dedication and hard work.
Will
Ah, sorry, I was thinking the top teeth... yes, my tongue tip is touching my bottom teeth.
One last note. I am watching you play the Jimmy Reed tune in your Acompaniment Study 2 lesson and I am studying where you have the harmonica angled on your face, mostly what cheek does the harmonica mostly attaches it to.
I call this the region of the tongue study and the cheek placement of the harmonica study.
The question is what region of the tongue, left or right of center and the harmonica/cheek placement, right, center or left.
Is it correct to say, other than tongue switching, if the player is tongue blocking with the tongue blocking the 3 holes on the left and sounding the open hole to the right, would you say that the region of the tongue would be on the blade or tip top of the tongue, but to the right of center of the tongue as the player would see his tongue as he would stick it straight out.
I ask this because I find myself playing it on the tip top or the blade, but in the center of my tongue, or the line or cleavage where I would then find myself doing a U block. I do not want to U Block but tongue block 3 holes to the left.
I like the cleavage concept, no pun intended, but is it correct to say that it is the tip top (the blade) but on the right side of the tongue region as the player would sense it as he is playing.
I call it the sweetspot because I can sense or feel the sound while I am playing and monitor this while I move the harmonica in front of me.
I am really stoked on your Accompaniment Series.
Thank you so much for your energy and joyfulness with all that you are doing, David. It really shows.
Will
"Is it correct to say, other than tongue switching, if the player is tongue blocking with the tongue blocking the 3 holes on the left and sounding the open hole to the right, would you say that the region of the tongue would be on the blade or tip top of the tongue, but to the right of center of the tongue as the player would see his tongue as he would stick it straight out."
Yes, that is correct, if your vantage point is from the back of your tongue forward (in a mirror you it's opposite of course).
In U-blocking, from now on, in memory of you known as "cleavage blocking" ;-) the air travels down "the center of my tongue," and would not feel the air traveling down, "the right side of the tongue region as the player would sense it as he is playing."
So, the difference... in standard TB, air travels to the right. In cleavage blocking air travels down the center chute of the tongue, with the left and right side curling to block the left and right adjacent holes.
Would the harmonica then be more often placed on the right cheek of the face? I ask this because it would compliment the right side region for what I call the sweetspot.
I teach golf and I know that the setup of the golf swing is 99% of where the ball goes. You can setup with bad angles but then you would have to compensate some where in the swing.
I am trying to get a ground zero, if you will, a vanilla starting point.
Yes, you can keep the cleavage concept in my memory.
Will
The angle is not commonly focused upon on the harp. Most playing is done with no angle left to right. THOUGH, when playing with a bullet mic, or when performing the Wa Wa (acoustic or amplified), many players, like myself, lean the right side of the harmonica towards the right cheek... this is done to block the leakage on the right side of the harmonica... the upper holes (reference the lesson on Cupping & Hand Effects). Since I'm primarily an amplified player, where a tighter cup is commonly used, I play that way a lot of the time.
Hey Will! I use the tip-top of the tongue, and further back when I need to, for larger blocks, such as pulls. My tongue does not touch my upper teeth when tongue blocking. YOU should use whatever part of the tongue you need to... more to the tip... further back... whatever works for you for these techniques... I just provide general guidelines for most players in most situations. Jaw movement should be avoided in all of the techniques shown in the TB Study 2.5. Using the mirror is very helpful. Keep experimenting, you WILL get it over time.