[Harp-L] teaching question: tongue blocking?

["Dave R. Fertig" <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

Everyone learns differently.  At 15 yrs of age, after a year or so of 
suckin' on harp, someone showed me how to make octaves with my tongue.   It 
was the single most significant  harp lesson I ever got, and just about the 
first thing I show newbies.   Of course, nothing replaces playing with 
competent and generous players, or simply playing, but it opened my ears 
(or mouth?) to a new set of possibilities.

Not every newbie has single note or bending skills, let alone tone, but 
they all should have a tongue, and learning how to make chords can 
alleviate lots of frustration in the early stages of harpin'.

Just my two bits!  I ain't no teacher, hell, I'm barely a student!

-Dave

ps: see our anarcho-syndicalist blues society's  embryonic web-page at 
http://elmtreeblues.org/  and if you're not careful you'll hear just how 
weak my playing is (Windows Media file, sorry, we're just starting and 
ain't so technohip).  The recording of my snippet on the front page (and 
see Westwood jam page, we have some footage of David Fairweather singing 
Hey Joe, he's great but the camerawork ain't  - Sorry David!!) was on a 
little sony digital still camera that takes movies, so, that's my excuse!
###


At 07:43 AM 11/9/2005, you wrote:

> From: drori hammer <drori_hammer@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] teaching question
> Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 22:42:21 -0800 (PST)
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Hi -
> I am a fairly experienced player, but not experienced at all in teaching 
> (also self-taught, so I have no role models). I have started teaching a 
> student, who wants to learn to play Blues harmonica. he has already made 
> some progress and can play single notes in the pucker style (although I`ll 
> need to teach him bending)
> My question is this: should I try to teach him Toung blocking straight 
> away, or get him to a more advanced level (bending etc. ) before moving to TBs?
> Any advice from you experienced harp teachers will be welcome
> Thanks
> Hammer