[Harp-L] TB

["Glenn Weiser" <celticguitar1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<Message: 5
<Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 08:22:03 -0600
<From: rainbowjimmy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] re: tongue block
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: <20060117082203.zvh3lqtuhcg8o0k8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Some riffs are easier to play tongue block. Most of Sonny Boy II and Little
Walter's riffs are easier for me to do tongue block. Butterfield, Sonny
Terry,
and Junior Wells are easier to play pucker. Hard rock riffing works well in
tongue block, quick single note playing is easier in pucker. It's easier to
cheat and get lousy bend notes puckering but you can't really blame the
embrouchure. I use both interchangeably.

When I tongue block, I tongue block on the right, no switching and just keep
my
tongue on the wood when I go to the low notes.

Tonewise it's a toss up. I like Little Walter's tone. I like Sonny Terry's
tone

------

Glenn wrote-

Depends on the riff-if you hear a slap in it, that must be tongue blocked.
Butterfield, it appears, didn't TB, except to do octave tonguing, and the
occaisonal slap on 6 -blow. ANd he is one of my favorite players.
Bending with pucker is not "cheating"-considering how many great players
bent notes with puckering, that statement makes no sense. I sat across a
table from Jerry Portnoy in a pizza joint in upstae New York once and heard
him play acoustic using pucker bends and TB slaps. His tone was to die for!
Again, the point is that great musicianship trumps mere technique every
time.

Glenn Weiser
http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/harppage.htm