Little Ryan
3 posts
Feb 17, 2009
7:29 AM
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My upper register playing is not up to par with my low to mid range playing. I think part of the reason is because my harps aren't properly set up (I get a glassy sound or a very weak one from some holes). Any tips on getting a better sound out of them, and does anyone have advice for blow blends?
~Cheers
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harmonicanick
140 posts
Feb 17, 2009
9:45 AM
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I found that making a concious decision to concentrate on holes say 6-10 within your practise regime will, in the end, help. Imagine you have put tape over the other holes so you have no option to go back to where you are comfortable.
Buddha's technical advice is, of course, spot on.
Remember that to progress takes time and practice, our muscles get into habits. You have to break those habits to move on. Good luck.
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GermanHarpist
89 posts
Feb 17, 2009
10:05 AM
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thanks buddha. that helps a lot.
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http://www.youtube.com/germanharpist
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Little Ryan
4 posts
Feb 17, 2009
8:37 PM
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Do you tip the harp in either direction?
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mr_so&so
36 posts
Feb 18, 2009
8:56 AM
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I've been working on blow bends for a while and have found that playing the upper octave blues scale in first position, and transferring second position licks there has been a fun way to keep it interesting. Sounds best on a low harp, e.g. G. This is perhaps a little more challenging than you're looking for at this point, Ryan, but something to keep in mind down the road.
First position blues scale in the upper octave is:
Last Edited by on Feb 18, 2009 9:06 AM
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Hollistonharper
17 posts
Feb 18, 2009
2:46 PM
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I don't know if this is unique to me, but I find I get much stronger, cleaner higher notes when tongue blocking rather than lip pursing.
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harpnoodler
35 posts
Feb 18, 2009
6:05 PM
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Agreed Hollistonharper, but can you blow bend while TB'ing? I can't.
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Patrick Barker
182 posts
Feb 18, 2009
10:17 PM
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keeping a low jaw and a low tongue can be similar in effect to tongue blocking
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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geordiebluesman
144 posts
Feb 19, 2009
1:38 PM
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Hey Buddha,That back pressure tip works! i'm geting much better tone on my high end blow notes,Cheers, So my next question is have you got another top tip for improving my high end draw notes?
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Grillslinger
16 posts
Feb 20, 2009
10:10 AM
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The back pressure tip was very helpful to me as well. I'm still struggling with blow-bends, though.
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Little Ryan
5 posts
Feb 22, 2009
2:54 PM
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Lowering my tongue and jaw helped a lot. Thanks for the suggestions.
Last Edited by on Feb 22, 2009 2:55 PM
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TheFanHead2
12 posts
Feb 27, 2009
1:32 PM
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Just practice. You'll soon 'get it'
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Hollistonharper
21 posts
Feb 27, 2009
6:47 PM
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Hey Harpnoodler, just came back to this thread. Like the original poster, I don't get past the 6 hole too often--I'll work on that--but I never tried to blow bend while tongue blocking...just tried to, it is hard isn't it, but I can squeeze it out. I get a pretty good blow bend lip pursing by using Buddha's back pressure concept while closing my jaw pretty sharply and raising my tongue at the same time. No room in my mouth to close my jaw while TB'ing, but find I can get it by constricting my throat--top area and glottis (sp?). Feels like with practice I could get it down pretty smooth.
Last Edited by on Feb 27, 2009 6:49 PM
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harpnoodler
47 posts
Feb 27, 2009
9:21 PM
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Hollistonharper, I'm primarily a pucker player and like Adam, I incorporated the quick widening of the embouchure to simulate the chordal accents of single notes. However, Our Leader can do it in more contexts than I can and I think there are some crunchy low end effects that Big Walter is a master of, that can only be achieved(at least by me) with a TB. I have been working on a tune--Big Boy's Jam-- out of a Dave Barrett method book --Building Harmonica Technique--that is a cool sounding 36-bar blues that is almost all TB octaves and tongue slaps. This last has really helped my high end playing because it fattens the tone of the high notes.
Also "Adam's Warm-up with OBs" is a challenge on a C harp. The "Alley Cat" on the high end is dead easy on a Bb or lower, but tricky on a C because of the need to hit the high blow bends clean. I'd like to get it on my F harp, but if my dog doesnt kill me, my wife will. I can't praise that lesson highly enough for getting a feel for moving to the high end and around once you get there. Once I've really claimed those exercises as my own and the Mitch Kashmar lesson, just noodling around up there should becopme very productive.
Thanks for that tip about TB blow bends, I'll play with it a bit. I haven't tried too hard, and when I do I've been trying to get the mouth shape by bearing down on the lips, similar to what I do when puckering, but the right side of the lip just goes all weak and starts to flutter with the pressure. I haven't tried moving the whole thing back into the throat.
Last Edited by on Feb 27, 2009 9:25 PM
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Hollistonharper
24 posts
Feb 27, 2009
10:23 PM
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You know I've wanted to buy Adam's warm-up with OBs--but I haven't found the nerve to try it. OB's really weird me out with all this talk about having to modify harps, etc. I'm terminally left handed and just don't have those skills. My hands are probably better suited to clubbing baby seals (don't worry, i'm a pacifist, I just like to exaggerate) than gapping reeds. ...but maybe I'll try it to move up to the high end of the harp....
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geordiebluesman
147 posts
Feb 28, 2009
3:44 AM
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Hi Harpers, I've bin workin on the high end stuff and have seen some improvement except for my 7 hole draw which remains consitantly stubborn on all makes and keys of harp so it's obviously down to me, Any suggestions anyone? I feel like i'm so close to getting the whole harp but that 7 hole draw is pissing on my parade!
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Miles Dewar
194 posts
Feb 28, 2009
9:54 AM
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Relax....Try this, if you take a straw, without inserting it directly into the hole. blow air into a hole (9 blow), but make sure that the straw is like an inch off the harp. You'll get a very clean, clear, loud note. now just point the straw in diferent areas insidethe hole, without going in the hole. Notice the tone change. Just experiment, it will all piece together.
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---Go Bears!!! (Richard Dent for Hall of Fame)---
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harpnoodler
48 posts
Feb 28, 2009
5:17 PM
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Hollistonharper, there are a few seal hunters on my wife's side of the family, but they prefer the rifle and harpoon technique. Personally, though I'd eat it to avoid starvation, I can't say I enjoy seal meat too much, though it's better cooked than frozen.
That aside, I would say that if you have the embouchure control to blow bend with a tongue-block, then you should be able to OB the 4,5, and 6 on a C,D or Bb harp fairly easily.
Hell, Buddha says he can teach a novice to OB on the first lesson and he's one of the best OB players in the world, so I'll take his word for it.
I don't know of anyone who can OB with a TB. I won't bother to learn. It's a pretty esoteric skill and I have enough to learn on harp and few enough years to do it in. Seeing a video of Jason Ricci getting the draw 2-5 octave by bending the 2 out of the left side while keeping the draw 5 unbent shows that there may be chord possibilities with OBs, particularly in jazz, but I don't have the hours.
I've been able to produce clean OBs on out-of the box Sp20's (only on hole 6), on 4,5,6 on a Suzuki Firebreath and on a G big river after gapping (holes 5 and 6). Learning to bend took much longer.
The gapping was maybe 10 minutes work,tops. I haven't embossed, arced, scooped or used any nail polish or done any of that fancy stuff. For Adam's lesson, I use the Firebreath (I hate the feel of it) and a Sp20 I gapped. The blow 4 needs a bit of fine tuning, but it's passable. I'll probably open it up and fine-tune it when I try to learn the OB version of "Alley Cat".
Hollistonharper, choose a harp you can afford to lose. Try the OBs. If you get the shriek, open it up and push the blow reed closer and try until you get the OB.
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