Re: [Harp-L] re:puckering, tongue blocking and speed

[Rick In Davis <rickindavis@xxxxxxxxx>]

When I go to a blues club to enjoy the music, I might spend a tenth of a second analyzing the harp player's embouchure.  And I'll bet you a nickel I am the only person in the entire club (except maybe the harp player and his girlfriend) who are wondering where he puts his tongue.
   
  Nobody cares!  If the guy gets good tone, then Rock On, My Brotha!  Tongue blocking might win you a few purits points on Harp-L, but nobody else even notices.  
   
   
  
Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
  *******
"true..
i know guys like sugar and ricci CAN tb,,, but you can't sell me
on the dexterity of tb-ing by default.
..show me a tounge blocker who says he never needs to pucker,,
and i'll show you a boring harp player with no vision whatsoever.

eric"

******

So, first you claim that you can't play fast tb-ing, then several 
examples (including one of the fastest ever harp players, Sugar Blue 
who mostly tbs, including the fast stuff) are given and you decide 
now that wasn't what you were talking about? The original post said 
pucker was faster, I said it wasn't, you asked for examples, I and 
others gave them. That's what was being asked. I think the evidence 
of Sugar Blue, DeFord Bailey and the entire host of extremely fast 
chromatic players (Blackie Shackner, Sandy Grossman, etc...) who can 
and do play at extreme speeds using tb pretty much makes the case 
that it is inherently no slower than pucker. That was the question.

Now, as for someone who only ever uses tongue blocking being boring, 
well, again, I'd put up a lot of people from the past who may have 
used tb exclusively (including the lowest holes) as well as a lot of 
people who mostly use tb and only pucker on the lowest holes and more 
who are all very interesting: Noah Lewis, the aformentioned Bailey, 
both Walters, etc...

The technique is relatively unimportant. It's knowing the strengths 
and weaknesses of the technique that makes the difference. Some 
people probably prefer to tongue block everything. If they get a 
good sound and can do what they want with that technique only, it 
will work musically. If the technique is holding back what they can 
do, then the music probably won't work.

I don't see this being an either/or thing except for when someone 
wants to make it such. Most pros tend to use whatever works for the 
effect, be it tb, pucker or even u-block (if they can). I certainly 
never said anything against pucker--I just said it wasn't inherently 
faster. Frankly, I see no reason why people shouldn't learn both tb 
and pucker and even u-block (if able)--it's not hard to learn any of 
these and doesn't take much practice time to get comfortable and be 
able to switch back and forth with ease.

Perhaps you've misread the original tb/pucker thread that started 
this debate: it was a joke. I could be wrong, but I really think it 
was done tongue-in-cheek as in, hey, now that there's no-one here we 
can call people names--with a big smiley attached.

But, that really has nothing to do with what you had asked, which was 
answered, or with the idea that using one embouchure only makes you a 
boring player. Stevie Wonder and Toots only ever pucker (from what I 
can tell) and they aren't boring. Larry Adler, DeFord Bailey and 
others primarily (perhaps only, depends on who it is) tongue-block 
and they are far from boring as well. Technique is great, but it 
says nothing about the musical outcome. Al Dimeola (sp) has some of 
the best guitar technique in the world. He's also one of the most 
boring and uninteresting guitarists I've ever heard (which is, of 
course, IMO, others disagree). Conversely, Willie Nelson barely 
knows how to play guitar, and he is one of the most intriguing 
guitarists I've ever heard (admittedly in part because I'm never 
quite sure whether he's a pure genius or has no clue what he's 
doing). Technique is a guarantee of nothing.




()() JR "Bulldogge" Ross
() () & Snuffy, too:)
`----'



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