Thanks. and tongue blocking again!

[<shankar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi
I just broke through the bending while tongue-blocking barrier
this weekend and wanted to thank all those on the list who
introduced me to this technique and posted advice and tips
on how to get there. I managed to bend the 4 draw on my D harp
and subsequently the other holes followed ( some mental muscle
goes click in your brain and suddenly one can move the palate
independently of the tongue !). I still have difficulty getting
exactly the right pitch on the first try but I suppose that will
come with practice. Bending two notes an octave apart
simultaneously seems to require some sort of "independence"
between the left and right palate which seems tougher (??).

I have a question about when to tongue-block and when to pucker.
It is fairly obvious if I have a transcription like McKelvy's
book and if I see a 1 draw and 4 draw simultaneously that this
must use a tongue block. But there are many places where it seems
a matter of personal choice. The problem is that having started out
with the pucker I can control the note far better with
my tongue in the pucker position,  especially
if it needs a staccato (draw-stop-draw) attack or if it needs
a "scoop" (I think the term for coming into a bent note from the
unbent - creates a sort of "wahw" without the hands).
Is there an inherent limitation to the amount of control you can
get with tongue-blocking or is it just a matter of practice?
In other words, just as you can't play octaves with a pucker,
are there some effects you can't get with a tongue-block that
you can with a pucker ?
Thanks again

Shankar.