Trouble with 4 Draw
Hey there,
Pretty much brand new. 2 weeks in.
I feel really good about tongue blocking blowing, and get good tone. But, when I draw, I can barely get any sound. It sort of feels like my cheeks collapse in, and I can't draw any air in.
Not sure how to diagnose this.
Thanks!
Hi David
I’m working on my vibrato, using the method of relaxing the toungue, and getting it in position to bend, as descibed in your videos of tremolo versus vibrato. I’m succeeding in having the wanted change of pitch, on the 2. 3. and 4. draw, but when I work on the 6. draw, I get only the tremolo and not the vibrato, although I do the same thing. I have the same issue when I play a C harp instead of a G or A harp, even on the 4. draw I cannot produce the vibrato, but only the tremolo.
Do you have any advice on how to work on this problem? I’m very much after the kind of vibrato on the 6. draw, that you fx do in the last chorus of your piece “In Grief”, where you end the long 6. draw note so beatifully
Hello jannelorentzen. Luckily, the technical side of this is easy to understand. You need to tune your mouth to a higher pitch. Make your mouth smaller (jaw not dropped and tongue slightly forward/up)... focus everything forward in your mouth. Keep everything relaxed, and at first play louder to get things rolling (after practice, you can play softer, but to this day, I still find it easier to play that 6 draw vibrato louder).
Hello larochey, welcome to site. Having difficulty playing the draw notes is common and will take some time. All of this has to do with tongue placement. Watch this video for the solution "My 2 draw and/or high-end notes sounds flat, airy or not at all!" https://www.bluesharmonica.com/faq