Re: [Harp-L] Original Reason for Tongue-Blocking

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Tongue blocking is what the diatonic harmonica was designed for, long before the chromatic harmonica appeared.

Splits (notes separated by one or more intervening holes, played by blocking those holes with the tongue) are far from the only reason to tongue block.

The original reason for tongue blocking was to make it easy to isolate the small holes on diatonic and tremolo harmonicas. However, the technique has proved versatile, allowing for several enhancement to playing:

RHYTHMIC CHORDING

The chordal design of the note layout facilitates alternating between a single melody note with the tongue on the harp and a chord with the tongue removed. Rhythmic accompaniment of melody using chords allows the harmonica to self-accompany in solo performance.

ARTICULATION

Tongue slaps used as a chordal way to attack single notes is widely used to enlarge the perceived sound of the harmonica and add texture to note attacks. Its opposite, pull-offs, allow for a strong attack on inhaled chords by temporarily blocking all the holes, creating suction that is released with a strong attack to the following chord when the tongue is lifted.

TEXTURES

By moving the tongue from side to side or on and off the holes while playing a chord, a player can produce several chordal effects, variously known as rakes, shimmers, hammers, flutters, etc.

WIDE LEAPS

By rapidly moving between notes played in the right corner of the mouth and the left corner by shifting the tongue slightly, a cplayer can make wide leaps cleanly and accurately.

WInslow

Winslow Yerxa
President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica
Producer, the Harmonica Collective
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool Community Music School


________________________________
From: Harmonicology [Neil Ashby] <harmonicology@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2014 9:42 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Original Reason for Tongue-Blocking 


There has been much long discussion pertaining to Tongue-Blocking versus Lip-Blocking (and Puckering) for the diatonic harmonica.

Tongue-Blocking on the diatonic harmonica is quite useful for Octaves and a few other combinations of separated notes BUT the original reason for Tongue-Blocking seems to be that the old Chromatic harmonica was too _thick_ for Lip-Blocking (or Puckering); that large block of wood simply inhibited any other method of operation.

Comments?

/Neil (" http://thebuskingproject.com/busker/2025/ ")