RE: [Harp-L] Re: a question for all you toungue blockers outthere...

["Smith, Richard" <rismith@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm new to this, and I'm strictly a puckerer, so admittedly 
I'm completely clueless about tongue-blocking techniques.  
That being said - - can someone explain to me exactly what
techniques I am missing?  What can be done with toungue-
blocking that can't be done with puckering?  Why should I 
learn a completely new (and very uncomfortable, when I've 
attempted it) way to play?  Obviously, I'm missing something,
since so many pros espouse tongue-blocking.

Richard J. Smith
Wormleysburg, PA


-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx]On
Behalf Of backbender1
Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 12:11 PM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: a question for all you toungue blockers
outthere...


Rob Paparozzi brings up excellent points to this
topic...

When I originally responded to this post, I wanted to
share my experience that I was also frustrated with TB
when I first tried it out, and it took me a while to
get comfortable with it. I also agree that a versatile
player should know both techniques, but it is an
individual choice once you really learn them each
separately. 

I did however, want to encourage players to stick it
out, and really give TB a shot. It has been my
experience that learning TB can be frustarting, and
plenty players give it up before they actually get the
technique down, and it is a shame.

I can't say that TB is "THE" way to play harp, since
there are great players who play well AND sound good
puckering. Though it happens to be the way I choose,
and I have said in the past (and continue to say) that
you can't really play Chicago-stlye blues harp the way
the greats played it without using tongue-blocking.
That is because the pioneers in this music TB at least
part of the time, if not most.

There are many advantages to learning TB, so I
recommend everyone at least give it a decent try and
be patient, no one gets it overnight. Everyone who
uses TB has been frustrated while trying to learn
these techniques, but just like when you hit your
first bent note, a whole world opened up and days
later you couldn't figure out what was so hard about
it to begin with, the same usually applies to TB.

-Dennis Gruenling
www.dennisgruenling.com




		
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