[Harp-L] Pucker and TB tips

[SONNYTONE@xxxxxxx]

Hi Tony, for tongue blocking in my opinion Dave Barrett's instructional  
series will get you on the right track. You can email him at 
_schooloftheblues@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:schooloftheblues@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)  and  let him know 
where you're at and he'll get you set up straight. For pucker I  have a tip 
that's worked with many players who've come by the house to pick up  their 
amp or in Skype lessons I do, and will be doing a video on it that I'll  share 
the link when it's up. This also will get you on the right path to tongue  
blacking as it involves using your throat to pull the notes which is the 
basis  of TB'ing, as I use both even in Sonny Terry style. While he did not TB 
on 99%  of his works his strong diaphragm and use of this throat to "choke" 
notes as  called it was one of keys to getting his sound. 
To go from a pucker player where one uses the tongue to pull the notes and  
cheeks come in, put your tongue behind your bottom teeth as far as you can. 
What  happens, your jaw drops, and now you must use the throat with 
incorporating it  with the diaphragm, another video. Use light gasps of air from 
the top of your  throat or an inward light kkkkkkkk, like an inward cough, to 
try and pull the  note. Even though your tongue raises up you will get 
enough air to pull, then  once getting this, you use your tongue as an accenting 
tool which Sonny did  masterfully. Use of the diaphragm is also key to deep 
tone, and you will get to  where you are using both with the diaphragm 
becoming second nature, on all the  time. Practice without a harp taking deep 
breaths in, filling the bottom of your  lungs first, then slowly bringing it up 
to capacity; as you pull in, diaphragm  goes out, breath out diaphragm in. 
    You can research yoga breathing or pranayama for other  exercises of 
breathing which will also help in allowing you to relax, big key,  when 
playing. The pure pucker player before anyone shows them differently will  be very 
tight in the mouth, where they tone is coming from, and has that  specific 
sound. We've probably all started this way unless one was taught  
differently to TB from the beginning which Dave has players do. Thankfully I am  able 
to work out six days a week and will try and do chugging patterns while  
doing cardio where my heart rate is in the 140's to 150, the target for my age. 
 Very difficult and I don't try and get it perfect, just build up my wind. 
How to  calculate your fat burning rate is 220 minus your age, time the 
percentage you  want to work at, which can be from 75 - 90 % very top end. Make 
sure you are  cleared by your PCP so as not to have any issues. I am doing a 
small number  of Skype lessons where you only need one as I take wherever 
you are and bring  you to next level with many practice techniques to help do 
this. Contact me off  list if interested, I have two slots available. 
    The next sections are about what I'll be teaching  at the Spah seminar 
so if not interested will just leave it at above.  If I stray off topic 
which people with ADHD tend to do, my apology if it offends  anyone, I'll always 
put this type note so you can choose to read it or not.  Thank you. 
 This is what some of what I'll be sharing in my seminar at Spah, as  
without the foundation of where his tone comes from the use of tabs is not  
effective, as while hitting the note designated if not using the right  
technique, at least in Sonny's style, you'll never get how he sounds like he  does. 
This is my goal as the seminar so that you listen to him now, you'll be  able 
to hear the difference between the three blow and two draw, when he's  
choking the four draw, which is always in play no matter what, how to perform  
his main chugging patterns such as Whooping (Hootin) the blues, Big Wind, and 
 others. 
    Even if not wanting to listen to him try these  techniques and with 
everyone's else's input I'm sure you'll be on your way. 
    I am working finally on my own Sonny Terry instructional  video where 
the main focus will be starting with the foundation then building  the house, 
roof on top of that. I'll pass out what anyone can google about Sonny  then 
give my personal experiences with he and Brownie during perhaps the most  
turbulent of their not speaking or harmonizing to each other. I'd spend a  
good deal of time talking with Brownie as we many times stayed at same  motel 
( motel 6, $9,.99:) ),and he shared his side of the story, while Sonny  
never knew why he wasn't speaking to him. Two stubborn black men  from the south 
( Sonny wanted to be referred to as black ) with  neither going to make the 
first move. 
      These two video's I strongly suggest anyone  planning on attending 
the seminar watch, as I have permission from the  people handing their affairs 
to be able to play them while demonstrating, so you  hear if from the 
source as I did in the hundreds of hours of teaching he  did no matter how he 
felt and watching and performing in that number of  shows,'
    Respectfully, Sonny Jr.