[Harp-L] re: tongue block

[rainbowjimmy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Phil wrote: "Puckering is a bit like learning the dog paddle instead  
of how to swim. It'seffective, 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."

One does not need to know how to tongue block, one does not need  
custom harps, and one does not need custom built amps and microphones  
to play harp.

Jr Wells, Paul Butterfield and Sonny Terry were not dog paddling. In  
fact tongue blockers should learn how to pucker because it helps  
certain techniques. You can sure play a lot faster puckering and Sonny  
Terry riffs are easier puckered (though they sound great with octaves).

The only difference between my tongue blocking and my puckering is the  
tongue--in other words, if the tongue wasn't there, the note would be  
blocked anyway. Yes I can pucker with the harp way in my mouth. Yes I  
bend from the back of my throat. I usually tongue block because I'm  
lazy and I'm going to hit the octaves anyway so I might as well keep  
my tongue there.My tone is a little better puckering because that's  
what I did for the first 25 years.

Nothing wrong with learning to tongue block. Put it on the list of  
things you want to learn but puckering is not dog paddling.

Rainbow Jimmy
http://www.spaceanimals.com
http://www.soundclick.com/theelectricstarlightspaceanimals.htm