pucker, block or....

[J Patrick Hester -- NY <ph@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I learned to play harp before anyone ever told me there were two
types of embouchure - pucker and block. So of course I do it a
third way. I use my upper lip and tongue to do a pucker sort of
thing. Instead of using my tongue to block the holes I don't want,
I cover the holes I do want and play over the tongue by creating
an air passage between the tongue and harp. I find this is great
for playing fast riffs ala the Popper Man. Probably because it's
possible to move a tongue faster than a harp. Twice as fast if
you do both at once. Sometimes I switch between this style and
the traditional pucker. And so far I've only sliced my tongue up
on a loose cover plate once (my fault for sloppy reassembly).

Does anyone else do this? (the play method, not the tongue slice)


On another topic, the other night I saw my first punk band with
a harp player. It's an Austin band called the Dropouts. They sound
kind of like a cross between Johnny Cash and Green Day. The harp
player (didn't catch his name) proves that there's more to the
harmonica than playing the blues - even if it was bluesy punk.
Check em out if you get the chance.

BTW, Kim Wilson KICKED ASS at his birthday bash the other night!