Tongue blocking vs U-blocking
I’ve been learning tongue blocking for the past couple of months (currently at LOA 3).After sending my audio of a study song (LOA2) that involved a lot of tongue slapping,I received feedback that I was actually using U-blocking instead of tongue blocking,and I hadn’t even realized it. David reassured me, explaining that some people naturallyuse U-blocking and that it’s fine to continue playing that way.After his critique, I started paying closer attention and confirmed that I do indeed useU-blocking instead of the classic tongue-blocking technique, it is just easier for me that wayto control the hole blocking and playing a single note after a slap.Sorry for the long post, but the reason I am posting it hear is just that I’m curiousif anyone else has had a similar experience while learning this technique.Thanks
Thanks for your comment. :)
Don't know whether or not it's true, but various folks claim that Paul Butterfield and Norton Buffalo were mainly U-blockers, and in his bio of Little Walter, Tony Glover wrote that he thought Walter U-blocked single notes. And I've read and listened to interviews with classical and jazz chromatic players who employ the U-block fairly regularly. In other words, it's a ligitimate technique.
There is some evidence that making that tongue shape is a hereditary thing. I've known folks who seemed surprised that I can roll my tongue into a U shape. My Mom could do it, as can my brothers; however, my Dad couldn't. So I guess it came from Ireland with my Mom's family's genes. (!)
Personally, I'm 95% tongue-blocking, both diatonic and chromatic. I started that way when I picked up my first harp 10 years ago, and have never felt the need to change. I've experimented with U-blocking, just for fun, but with all of the other challenges, who needs to complicate things?
Bottom line: If it works for you and is your best tool for where you want to take your playing, go for it!
The deeper I've got into harp, the more I realize it's impossible to tell by listening what embouchure a person is using. I used to think I could spot TB vs Lipping, but as I've become more and more fluid at switching back and forth, I'm now at the point where when I listen to my own stuff back I can't always tell which I was doing at a particular point.
The U block thing is interesting to me because I'm only aware of 3 well-known players who use it - Mark Ford, Norton Buffalo and John Nemeth. All 3 definitely have a unique "attack" - particularly Mark, whose attack sounds like no one else to me. But I'd be hard pressed to define what u-block "sounds like" exactly.
I wouldn't be at all suprised if Butter was a Ublocker - he also has a unique-sounding attack to me, that doesn't quite sound like pucker IMO - but again: I now realize you can't really tell.
One thing is clear, when listening to David's amazing interviews: the vast majority of players use a hybrid approach - I don't think there's a single major harp player who uses ONLY one or the other. Estrin, Portnoy, Piazza, Wilson, Hummell - all use both. The available evidence indictes both the Walters used a mix as well.
If I had to guess, I'd say that the only three major players to use ONLY TB would be the two Sonny Boys (although #2 clearly did lip occasionally for certain effects) and WIlliam Clarke. I can't think of an instance where it sounds like Clarke is lipping - though of course one must always append "my best guess" to such statements.:)
Ah, sweet mystery...
I did twice (pucker->u block->tongue block), and I also thought I was tongue blocking when I was actually u-blocking, but I realized myself. Took me about a month of practice each time to switch. Now I only tongue block, all techniques, all range (including blow bends), so you can do it to. All it takes is perseverance.
I describe it in more detail here:
https://www.bluesharmonica.com/technique_playing_single_note#comment-24039