Tongue blocking
On average how long does it take a student to gain proficency at tongue blocking?
New beginner to harmonica. I have managed to cover the 1st 3 holes for a 4th hole blow. Problem is when attempting to move to next hole, I totally loose my tongue block embouchure. I'm trying to relax but that doesn't seem to be working out so well. I've even tried the underside on my tongue to block. Simply can't seem to get it. Question is, have you ever encountered a student who is simply incapable of learning the tongue blocking technique? Secondly approximately how long does it take most beginners to develope the correct embouchure to be a effective tongue blocker? I've watched your video on the subject a few times & have tried as you demonstrated but its simply not happening. I'll keep at it. My desire is to have the ability to tongue block & pucker on harmonica. Thx
New beginner to harmonica. I have managed to cover the 1st 3 holes for a 4th hole blow. Problem is when attempting to move to next hole, I totally loose my tongue block embouchure. I'm trying to relax but that doesn't seem to be working out so well. I've even tried the underside on my tongue to block. Simply can't seem to get it. Question is, have you ever encountered a student who is simply incapable of learning the tongue blocking technique? Secondly approximately how long does it take most beginners to develope the correct embouchure to be a effective tongue blocker? I've watched your video on the subject a few times & have tried as you demonstrated but its simply not happening. I'll keep at it. My desire is to have the ability to tongue block & pucker on harmonica. Thx
Thank you for the clarification leonardram. Though some students have success with it right away, being able to play a single note can commonly take a couple of weeks. This is common to most wind instruments... reed instruments (like clarinet) make god-awful squawking sounds their first couple of weeks and horn players (like trumpet) sound like they're making mouth fart sounds. Take your time, it's a process of experimentation. It then takes a couple of months to be able to move up and down the harmonica playing single notes well (the first study song, "Walk With Me" takes students commonly two to four months to be able to play well).
A couple tips for you...
1) Don't use the under side of your tongue, use the top.
2) Don't push your tongue on the face of the harmonica, simply lightly stick your tongue out and to the left slightly (~11 o'clock) and use the tip-top of the tongue.
3) As you move, keep your tongue to the left.
4) Purchasing or making your own Filisko Tongue Block Trainer is a great idea
In regards to have I "encountered a student who is simply incapable of learning the tongue blocking technique?" The answer is no... you will get it, you just need to be patient with yourself.
Please feel free to ask me more questions, I'm here to help...
Thanks David. I'll keep at it. Saxaphone was much easier for me than harmonica. I'm determined to master tongue blocking.
Hi, Im also new to the harmonica and I am now learning tounge blocking. I'm sorry if I'm jumping in on another users forum but I have a similar question. Do I need to take the couple of months of tounge blocking practice before I move on to the folk songs? Or can I just jump right in?
Thank You.
Tru Blu Rookie,
The point of the folk songs as I understand it is that they are tunes you probably already know, so you can tell if you're on a wrong hole, because it will immediately sound wrong to you. They are given on the website as a way to practice getting your single notes down, and not for more than that.
So go right ahead - they are part of your first steps.
Good morning Tru Blu Rookie and thank you for your comment JeremyHunt. "just jump right in" using the tongue block embouchure to play those folk tunes.
Hi David,
don't know if this is askt before i have different harps, some have the opening on the left en right side others do not,
if i practise with the ones who don't have the side openings the tongueblocking is going good and also the bends.
on the others i have more of a strugle to do the bends
hoping you can help me out here .
Greetings,
Henk.
Hello Henk.
Having open (vented) or closed cover plates will not influence the way a harmonica plays. In your case the harps you have that are vented are set up better.
P.S., the crimp point for the metal on coverplates is just to the left of hole 1. If your non-vented harmonicas have a little bit of opening right there it can cause air to leak through the coverplates. If you find holes 2 and 3 more difficult to bend than holes 4 and above on those particular harmonica than that could be the issue. If you think this might be the case, send me an email and I'll send you a picture of what I'm speaking of and you can send me pictures back to see if in fact this is the issue... there is a fix for this.
Thank you David for the quick respons,
it is most lickely my poor technique ;-) the harps are manji M-20 vented and special 20 not vented straing but true i have no problems with the special 20 to tongueblock bend ?!
Greetings,
Henk
You're comparing the same keys?... A Manji and A SP20 for example?
The c key i have don just now and the SP20 is easyer to bend comparing the Manji ;-)
Okay, both C harmonicas then. This is simple... all being equal, the SP20 is better set up. Your Manji can play better via customization. If you're into working on your harps check out Kinya's HarpTech series.
Great thanx David, i have been watching Kinya's videos on gaping i give it a go and tell you later on how it went.
Sounds like a plan.
Hi David,
I am new to this academy, but I have been spending 6 months on playing the harps using pucker and able to do all the draw bends and blow bends.
It seems quite frustrating to change to tongue block and learning all those again
Welcome to the site Ricky.
I teach tongue blocking as there primary embouchure due to the fact that it is the primary embouchure used by blues harmonica players... it offers the greatest variety of sounds for the player.
Feel free to continue bending on the harmonica with a pucker, adding more and more tongue blocking over time.
A good rule of thumb is to pucker holes 1 through 3, switching to tongue blocking on holes 4 and above (hole 4 is where octaves come available, and techniques like slaps, pulls and flutters sound really full).
Any time you bend switch to a pucker. This is the way many of us learned, myself included. Once you have added slaps, pulls, flutters and octaves to your playing you can start to develop your tongue block bending skills and then choose where you want to use it.
Let me know if you have further questions.
Hi, my name is Ulysse (I'm french) and I am new harmonica player.
Actually, I have some problem to playing two notes (5th Chorus of the first study song). I'm not sure if I need to tongue block (2 of 4 or 1 of 3) or just playing the two notes with a smaller mouth.
Hello Ulysse. If you're playing 3 draw and 4 draw you'll block holes 1 and 2 with your tongue. If you play holes 4 and 5 draw, you'll commonly block holes 2 and 3 with your tongue. When playing a two-note combination focus on playing the lower note, adding a little bit of the upper note of texture. This upper note can be added by opening your mouth slightly on the right side (smirk).
Ok, i'll try. Thanks for the tip.
Is it really all that better to tongue block compared to puckering? I've been playing for two years or so and have am really good at puckering. I can bend most notes and can put feeling into the songs I play. I got a new harmonica and a paper was inside for 30 days of free lessons. Im not crazy about blues but was hoping that I could still learn something from your site. I would like to lean some cool sounding tricks but can I still do that while puckering??? I would rather not waste my free subscription just trying to tongue block.... it's really hard to do compared with puckering.
Thanks
Hello mvgirl2015. Take a look at the non-tongue block studies then... such as Improvising, Accompaniment Playing, Cupping & Hand Effects, Tremolo and Vibrato, Solo Harmonica Study, etc. These lessons you can incorporate into your pucker playing. When you're ready for it, you'll want to revisit tongue blocking (it gives you access to more sounds), it's a huge part of playing the harmonica (all styles). Also, keep in mind that you don't have to switch to all tongue blocking... you can mix the two embouchures together. The most common way is to pucker holes 1-3, tongue block 4-10, and to pucker whenever you bend.
Is it common for a complete beginner to have a harder time tongue blocking for single note draws than single note blows? I've been working on the beginning single note draws and blows on a C special 20 harmonica and my draws often get muted or don't work, even when moving straight from a blow to a draw on the same hole.
Edit: sorry for the duplicate post!
Is it common for a complete beginner to have a harder time tongue blocking for single note draws than single note blows? I've been working on the beginning single note draws and blows on a C special 20 harmonica and my draws often get muted or don't work, even when moving straight from a blow to a draw on the same hole.
Hello coleheideman. Yes, this is typical. Your embouchure is a bit too small right now. When you blow, your lips blow out (making a larger hole), allowing the blow hole to work for you. When you draw, your lips suck together (making a smaller hole), which is cutting off the air as you inhale with your smaller embouchure. Work on making your embouchure larger, and breathing from your diaphragm. Also play softer, this will minimize lip movement.
Thank you for your response. I'll spend more time getting that single note embouchure down. I spent many hours on it today but whenever I got a good blow and draw i would try to move into the scale immediately from that. I think that is getting in the way of really getting that muscle memory down and understanding my embouchure. I can often get halfway through the little excercise and then lose my embouchure or mess up my tongue placement. Do you have any tips for maintaining consistent tongue positioning while moving the harmonica? Thanks again!
My pleasure coleheideman. Everything you're experiencing is typical for a new player, you'll get it with time. Try this... once you set your embouchure, slide the harmonica... your embouchure stays in one place... harmonica moves side to side. Use a very light touch with your mouth and tongue on the face of the harmonica. Keep at it, you'll get it!
Hello leonardram. Please narrow your question for me. Are you a new, intermediate or advanced player looking to add tongue blocking to your player? Do you currently know how to bend in a pucker (or other embouchure) and also want to learn how to tongue block bend? This will help me to give you a more accurate answer.