[Harp-L] TB or Not To Be

["Richard Bush" <rcush@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Over a couple of years ago, list member, Stephen Schneider encouraged me to 
begin tongue blocking given that he knew my infinity for Chi-Town 
traditional blues.  I just kinda blew him off, not wanting to bear down 
teaching this old dog new tricks.  Besides, I grew up with a u-block 
ingrained as my method and actually thought that I was getting close enough 
to a TB tone to suffice.

Those who know Stephen, know that he can whip up some kind of tone with a 
diatonic.  So, after hangin'  out with him at HOOT meetings and such over 
the past coupla years or so, I asked him to critique where I needed to go 
with my playing.  BLUNTLY--he basically told me to get off my butt and 
tongue block (and to go ahead and develop a pucker, too).

I've been working on it since somewhere around January and it's coming 
around.  Based on how long Stephen told me it took him to move from pucker 
to a satifactory TB tone, I figure I still need a good year of hard work 
(maybe more).  Acoustically, I can discern the difference between my TB and 
my u-block sound.  Where it really stands out differently, though, is when I 
pick up a JT30--tons of overtones and tones that just weren't there before. 
I ain't turning back now.  I'd heard all the hype about TB and really 
thought I was matching up with what I was doing.  WRONG--and to think, I 
could have been working on this back in my 30's (in my 50's now).  I've 
always been fairly set in my ways--heck, maybe I'll try sky diving.

To each his own--but when I'm finished, I plan to be able to TB, UB and 
pucker my way into the grave.  Anyway--

See ya-
Rick