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

[DAVID Robbins <drobbins5658@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

If ur playing Blues, ya gotta TB...I combine TB and Lip Purse on diatonic now and switched to 100% TB on chromatic just over the last several months. Big diff on the Chromatic.


On Thursday, August 14, 2014 1:42 PM, Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx> wrote:
 



On Aug 14, 2014, at 9:56 AM, Larry Sandy <slyou65@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> ----------------------
> On Thu, 8/14/14, Harmonicology [Neil Ashby] <harmonicology@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> â... 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?
> 
> Here is a case where two people can look at the same data and draw opposite conclusions.

Because it requires you to put the harp in your mouth, TB becomes more difficult as the harp gets thicker. I cannot imagine anyone using TB on a big, thick bass harmonica. With pucker, you make a nozzle of your lips that can be placed against the front of the thickest harp.

Pucker results in tense cheeks. With TB the cheeks can be more relaxed and form a variable-volume air chamber that can serve as a pressure regulator and soften the attack part of notes. I find that very high and very low notes respond better to TB. Use of TB for double-stopping and tongue-switching has already been mentioned. Bonfiglio recommends frequent and routine tongue switches. His annotated Bona exercises indicate the side of the mouth to be used for every note. To play like him, you need equal facility with both sides of your mouth. 

Bending may be possible with TB but is certainly easier with Pucker.

The well-rounded player will be able to use both. I think that Bonfiglio uses TB as his default mode and Toots uses Pucker as his default mode.
> 
Vern