Re: [Harp-L] bending technique (was tone)

[Philharpn@xxxxxxx]

If you can whistle, you can bend notes.

Forget about "choking" the reed. The key ingredient needed to bend notes is 
the same technique used to change pitch while you whistle. The only difference 
is that most whistling is done on the exhale and lower notes are bent on the 
inhale.

Once you can understand how you change pitch by whistling a high note and 
then a low note, you are half way there toward bending. Use a keyboard or 
chromatic tuner for reference.

The only difference is that you have to have to learn to "whistle" on the 
inhale.

Phil Lloyd
former student of Iceman's mini-class at Augusta Heritage Workshops (Blues 
Week, Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, W.Va.)


Further, once you recognize what the base of your tongue is doing, you can 
transfer the bending technique to tongue blocking -- because the part of the 
tongue that is used for blocking (front side) is not engaged in the bending 
process.