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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Tongue blocking overblows
Tongue blocking overblows
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Tryharp
8 posts
Oct 04, 2008
6:48 AM
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Hi Guys,
Can anyone out there tongue block overblows. Well Ive just learnt to do them with a pucker, but I really only tongue block, so I was wondering if anyone else out there can do it, and what was there experience. I know trying to bend tongue blocked sounds a bit hard when you start but its not when you have a go, I'm hoping its the same with overblows. My thoughts on overblows is that they are not any harder to get than learing to bend. Given I am still fairly new at this ( < 2 years ) I can still remember learing to bend, it wasnt easy. With overblows, really 2 or 3 hours of trying and it happened ( with a self tweaked marine band ) ............I remember trying to bend for days.
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Oxharp
22 posts
Oct 04, 2008
8:42 AM
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I guess Jason Ricci is the man to ask.
or Howard Levy
BTW good job to learn OB I am struggling and cant yet find a use for them in my playing when I eventually get them.
I can get them with the covers off and holding down the blow reed butt thats it at the moment.
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Tryharp
10 posts
Oct 04, 2008
4:30 PM
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Ox
Thats a good start, youre not far away. Thats what I did, took the covers off, finger over the blow reed, and work out what the note is you are after. Then really just getting the correct tongue, mouth position. For me the advice of tensing up the roof of the mouth did it, then lift the back of the tongue and touch each side to back teeth. This really severe tensing seems to allow the blow reed to choke and sound the draw with very little air flow, you dont need to blow hard, just like a bend. If you try to do it for a minute or two and your cheeks start to hurt, I think you are on the right track. Anyway thats how I did it, I guess everyone will crack it in there own way.
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1i
Guest
Oct 05, 2008
8:10 AM
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Hi Guys,
My 2cents on OB. First, it really doesn't matter how long you have been playing. I started learning to play the harp about 7mths ago. Doing OB with puckering is the easiest using Howard Levy's method, which involve moving the tongue to the roof of the mouth like when you are saying the word. "cue". For holes 4,5 and 6, it takes really short time to do it. But doing it and using it in your music are quite different, it takes a much longer time for your muscle to memorized the exact position.
Now, I play 100% tongue block, doing the OB with TB is harder. And try different harps, if you have the right gapping on the harp, its easier. It will come if you play harder, but that way you are damaging the reeds. Instead try directing the air flow upwards or downwards. You have to imagine as if you are trying to blow to the top of the harp inside the hole, or downwards. On some keys, you have to direct this air flow blowing towards the roof of your mouth.
As for hole 1, I still have no idea how to do that. I find once you can do the OB, praticing it hole 6 OB, hole 6 draw, hole 6 OB....or hole 4draw, 5blow, 6blow, 6OB...is useful. This will help you to hit it right on when you want to.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
1i
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1i
Guest
Oct 05, 2008
8:16 AM
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Hey guys,
Sorry, I forgot to mentioned. When doing OB TB, you have to arched your tongue to the roof of your month, the back of you tongue is more tense.
1i
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harmonicanick
16 posts
Oct 05, 2008
10:08 AM
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I can not imagine a tongue block overblow would enhance my playing with the 6 piece blues outfit I am in.
Here is the kicker - only advanced harp players can tell what you are doing! The rest dont give a monkeys,as long as it sounds great (and I dont get any complaints)
So I wont bother, but good luck to you if you think its that cool.
I love tongue blocking for chords
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