[Harp-L] re pucker guys

[Philharpn@xxxxxxx]

Puckering is a bit like learning the dog paddle instead of how to swim. It's 
effective, it's easy and it will save your life. But you've also got to learn 
to kick, to really make it work and put your face in the water.

The chief problem with the tongue blocking technique is not in the execution 
but in the explanation. The best visual example of how to tongue block I ever 
saw was a teacher at the Augusta Workshops Blues Week at Davis & Elkins 
College, W.Va. who used his eyeglasses to show what the tongue was doing.

I never understood what was going on when I first saw that little paper that 
Hohner used to put in its harmonicas describing tongue blocking, so I never 
picked it up until years later. By then I could bend notes pucker style and 
decided to see if I could bend with tongue blocking -- it was a little tricky 
learning to tongue block out of the left side of the mouth AND bending notes, but 
it was doable. (And a lot easier than riding backwards on a bicycle sitting on 
the handle bars.)

It was only later, through trial and error, and AFTER I had learned how EASY 
playing octaves was, that I grasped the concept.

Pretend you have really long hair and comb the bangs down into your face. 
Next, blow the hair hanging over your eyes out of the way from the corner of your 
right eye.   Or pretend your are trying blow away a bothersome fly.

The remarkable thing about tongue blocking is that is really is a very sloppy 
embouchure. It doesn't make any difference how you place the side of your 
tongue to block the holes you want to mute. And it doesn't make much difference 
what kind of shape is left to sound the OPEN reed hole.

Likewise, playing octaves (at least on the blues harp) it not very precise 
either. Just as long as the tongue blocks the center two holes, it will work. 
Playing octaves is probably easier than trying to play a single lip pursed note, 
because it requires less precision.

Now, if I could only figure out how toe "bite" the harmonica (without leaving 
teeth marks) to get those percussive notes!