Adam
Guest
Nov 01, 2008
2:43 PM
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How should I use my tongue when tongue blocking? Should I turn it on its side, or try to block with the tip?
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DanP
1 post
Nov 07, 2008
9:19 AM
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Block with the tip of the tongue for octaves.Block with the thick part of the tongue just beyond the tip for single notes.
Last Edited by on Nov 07, 2008 9:19 AM
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snakes
40 posts
Nov 07, 2008
1:09 PM
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Does "beyond the tip" mean you turn your tongue to one side or does it mean to roll it back? Am a little confused. Am trying to learn tb myself. Thanks for input DanP.
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DanP
4 posts
Nov 07, 2008
3:07 PM
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Personally, I don't turn my tongue sideways. The tip of my tongue is pointed down toward the bottom of my front teeth. Go to a mirror and pronounce the letter "K". That is the position of my tongue when I play. Some people block the two holes to the left of the hole they want to play (in that case,blocking with the tip of the tongue would probably be best) and some people use a four hole embouchure and block the three holes to the left of the hole they want to play and still others block the two or three holes to the right. Myself, I block the three holes to the left rather than two so I can get a full chord with my lead note when I'm tongue slapping. The only times I block the holes to the right is when I'm tongue switching,for instance, when I'm going from the 4 hole down to the 1 hole. But what is easy for one person may be hard for others. Experiment and see which is best for you. I know this was a long-winded answer but I hope it helped. Good luck.
Last Edited by on Nov 13, 2008 6:41 PM
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Anonymous
Guest
Nov 07, 2008
6:10 PM
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Everyone's mouth is different, you gotta figure out what works for you. Lots of "face time"-- in other words keep the harp in your mouth! I lay my tongue on top of the covers blocking the holes with the bottom of my tongue.
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DanP
10 posts
Nov 11, 2008
10:04 PM
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It's easier to learn to tongue block if you learn to tongue slap first. Tongue slaping is fairly easy to learn. One way is to put the harp deep in your mouth and say the letter "K" a few times then make your tongue do the same thing without saying that. Another way is to blow a chord on the 1,2,3,and 4 holes blowing out and when you hear the chord sound for a second or so, throw your tongue up against the 1,2 and 3 holes so only the 4th hole sounds. Then go back and forth on the in breath and the out breath,gradually picking up speed with each slap of the tongue. You do this with the front surface of your tongue just beyond the tip. When you get that down pat, then you can go up the harp using the same mouth position. For people who want to learn tongue blocking in detail, Jerry Portnoy's 3 CD Blues Harmonica Masterclass is worth getting. It's a little expensive (about 60 bucks) but it's worth it because he spends about 75% of the first CD on tongue blocking techniques and explains it very clearly. There's also other techniques and special effects on the other 2 CDs as well and jam music on the third CD.
Last Edited by on Nov 12, 2008 8:42 AM
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