Re: [Harp-L] Tongue blocking and circular tuning

[David Payne <dmatthew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just a note, that tuning would on the spiral schemes, be laid out in an F scale, not a C. Thus it would be:
 the blow notes would go    C E G Bb D F  A   C   E G
    the draw notes would go D F A C   E G  Bb D   F A

On tongue blocking itself, I see it as a primarily an octave technique. You can get that chordal backing with a pucker embouchure. Or at least that's the way I learned. I had no clue what tongue blocking was when I was a kid, so I got that sound with a pucker and making my lips wider. 
So, in the Dave Payne world, your octaves would be C and Bb, E and D, G and F, Bb and A, etc., which might give you a nice 7th once in a while. 

Dave
__________________________
www.elkriverharmonicas.com




----- Original Message ----
From: Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, October 26, 2009 1:45:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Tongue blocking and circular tuning

Tongue blocking can benefit circular tuning greatly.

If by circular you mean a tuning where, for instance, 
    the blow notes would go C E G B D F A C E G
    the draw notes would go D F A C E G B D F A

In this tuning, you can't play octaves with tongue blocking, but you can get all seven three-note chords chords that belong to the major scale (along with their four and five note extensions). That's a lot of intriguing choices. You can play a melody note, then lift your tongue to create a variety of chords. You can also alternate blow melody with draw chord  (or vice versa) as diatonic accordion players do. Nad you can play splits, with a melody note on one side of your tongue and a chord or bass note on the other side.

True, you can't rely on the blow chord always being C and the draw chord being some kind of G7. The chords constantly - but quite predictably - shift as you move up and down the harp, so you have to actually think and make choices. 

But then, Sam Hinton showed us that tongue blocking and thinking are not mutually exclusive.

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Sun, 10/25/09, David Payne <dmatthew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
 circular is in no way shape or form a tongue block tuning.


    
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