harpdude61
2022 posts
Jun 22, 2014
4:32 PM
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For some reason LIP BLOCKING is rarely recognized on this forum as a style of play. It gets even less respect than U-blocking. It's always between tongue blocking and lip pucker or pursing.
I would be curious to see how many players use LIP BLOCKING alone or in combination with tongue blocking? What about pro players?
LIP BLOCKING.....IMHO... This is THE relaxed embouchure. All you have to do is let your jaw drop until your mouth falls open a little. Visualize being so relaxed, even, dozing off, that your mouth just relaxes itself open. Tilt the harp enough that it falls comfortably to this natural fit. The cover plate bend just above the holes should rest nicely in the corners of the mouth. The harp tilt is key. The lip blocking on each side of the hole being played takes no effort or muscle movement. A single note should come natural with no shaping of the mouth or lips required. No muscles used because no "kissy" or "pucker" shape.
This embouchure allows for dropped jaw, open relaxed mouth and throat. Big tone and a larger mass of air which I believe lends itself to easier bending (blow or draw) and easier overbending (overblow and overdraw). A bigger volume of air because of a larger resonator to move air, results in less push or pull needed to sound a note. Much easier to work the harmonica magic than with a thin, tight stream of air.
Tone and pitch control as well as throat and diaphragm vibrato are no problem.
I believe Lip Blocking "blends" better with Tongue Blocking. Moving between the two just comes naturally with minimal embouchure change and muscle movement.
IMHO
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OzarkRich
520 posts
Jun 22, 2014
5:03 PM
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I only recently realized that I lip block rather than lip purse. My upper lip completely covers the top cover plate and I have to hold it with my finger resting on the ridge at the back of the top cover plate (in the reference standard hold). This is what came natural to me from the beginning. I only tongue block for octaves.
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Ozark Rich
__________
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Ozark Rich's YouTube
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1847
1882 posts
Jun 22, 2014
5:15 PM
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i personally feel the term is quite silly.
seems to me like, someone made up a solution to a problem that does not exist.
pucker or lip purse seems satisfactory.
i have been wanting to get that of my chest for sometime, however i didnt want to start an argument.
but you asked point blank, so there you have it,
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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OzarkRich
521 posts
Jun 22, 2014
5:21 PM
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I'm definitely not puckering. I'm using the insides of my mouth on each side to block holes. Don't know what a better term would be, "interior cheek flesh blocking" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
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Ozark Rich
__________
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dougharps
655 posts
Jun 22, 2014
5:26 PM
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EDIT:
I HAVE LEFT THE CONTENT FOR THE SAKE OF THE THREAD. I DID NOT HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF "LIP BLOCKING" WHEN I WROTE THIS, SO APPLY AS MANY GRAINS OF SALT AS ARE NEEDED.
The term "lip blocking" is more recent in origin than pursing. It probably is a more accurate description of what most so called lip pursers actually do when they pass the beginner stage.
If you are really pursing your lips, as beginners often do, your tone is thinner and you fatigue easily from holding that embouchure. Most experienced players who don't consciously learn to tongue block or U block are most likely lip blocking (not pursing, which is poor technique.)
Tongue block fanatics don't differentiate lip pursing vs. lip blocking. They condemn both techniques and insist that everyone should play tongue blocked or they will not sound good.
That being said, there are good reasons to learn tongue blocking, too.
(IMHO)
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Jun 25, 2014 9:35 PM
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The Iceman
1758 posts
Jun 22, 2014
5:30 PM
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What is the lip blocking is the question that comes to my mind with this terminology.
I don't think that the lips are really blocking anything. They are just relaxed and allowing only a single note to sound (due to the air flow).
I call this technique "Single Note Embouchure".
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The Iceman
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Frank
4618 posts
Jun 22, 2014
5:55 PM
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What do you call it if they play 2 notes ?
Last Edited by Frank on Jun 22, 2014 6:23 PM
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WinslowYerxa
633 posts
Jun 22, 2014
6:24 PM
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I'm a bit mystified by the distinctions among "lip blocking,""lip pursing," and "pucker."
Can someone define each term fully?
(I suspect the answers may vary considerably.)
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Winslow
Plunge into the SPAH Experience, August 5-9, 2014
Last Edited by WinslowYerxa on Jun 22, 2014 6:25 PM
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timeistight
1588 posts
Jun 22, 2014
6:27 PM
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If we're going to "recognize" and distinguish between lip embouchures then we should recognize top-of-tongue-, bottom-of-tongue-, side-of-tongue-, and tip-of-tongue-blocking as officially distinct MBH embouchures.
Or, maybe we could just call it the tongue-on-the harp embouchure and the tongue-off-the-harp embouchure and leave it at that.
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BluesJacketman
155 posts
Jun 22, 2014
6:41 PM
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yes I always figured you just call it lip pursing because eventually all those players who purse learn that relaxing and widening your oral cavity gives you better tone. I've never met a blues player who said they chose to play with a tight puckered embouchure.
P.S. Tongue blocking is better for blues! ;P
Last Edited by BluesJacketman on Jun 22, 2014 6:41 PM
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jnorem
309 posts
Jun 22, 2014
7:05 PM
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@dougharps : "If you are really pursing your lips, as beginners often do, your tone is thinner and you fatigue easily from holding that embouchure."
But consider the embouchures used by trumpet players. What about double reed players, now that's a tough one. How about French Horn players? It takes time to build up embouchures like that.
I really purse my lips, like I'm about to kiss my Grandpa, that's my embouchure, and it has been for blah blah years, and it's always worked, it seems. All I'm saying is that an embouchure is a thing to be perfected by practice, and eventually you won't even feel it, it'll be second nature, no fatigue at all.
As to the thinner tone, well maybe, I don't know, that's extremely subjective. But whatever tone I produce is going into an amp where I can dial up a whole other loud electric tone, and that's the main thing, for me anyway.
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Call me J
Last Edited by jnorem on Jun 22, 2014 7:07 PM
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KingoBad
1486 posts
Jun 22, 2014
7:07 PM
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I think there should be a fish lip and sloppy angled slobber blocking too...
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Danny
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harpdude61
2023 posts
Jun 22, 2014
7:08 PM
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Winslow, with most pucker players it appears to me that the harmonica is level. Due to the shape of the harmonica, the lips must be put into a kissy or pucker shape to play a single note....The main difference in the two is harp tilt and a totally different shape with the lips and front of the mouth. I find lip blocking very ergonomic. Like Rich, my upper lip extends over the back of the harp. The harp is very deep in my mouth.
With a lip blocker the harp is tilted. Just let your mouth fall open without shaping or using muscles. You can drop your jaw completely.
Iceman, I agree but in a sense it is lip blocking. I can go from a single note to a double stop or chord simply by dropping the lower lip a bit more. If I play a single note, the lower lip is covering the hole to each side.
Ozark I am the same as you... Lip Block everything, but plenty of splits played TBing.
1847...solution to a problem? What is the problem? Two different harp angles and two different mouth shapes. You don't understand. With lip block ..no pucker or purse is involved.
Bluesjacket...this thread is not about TBing. If someone thinks it's all the same they are wrong.
To me Lip BLOCKING offers the biggest sound cavity or resonator because the jaw is dropped as much as possible and totally relaxed, plus the tongue is down and out of the way on long single notes. You can make it fat with a great vibrato. I've have taught a couple of people this way with pretty good success. Simply have them pretend they are dozing off and the mouth is falling open. Jaw, face, lip, cheek, everything relaxed. Put the harp in. draw on the harp and keep tilting to you hit the sweet spot. MUST stay relaxed. They all had a good rich tone on two hole draw the first lesson.
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Last Edited by harpdude61 on Jun 23, 2014 4:45 AM
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1847
1883 posts
Jun 22, 2014
7:24 PM
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harpdude writes
To me Lip Pursing offers the biggest sound cavity or resonator because the jaw is dropped as much as possible and totally relaxed, plus the tongue is down and out of the way on long single notes. You can make it fat with a great vibrato. I've have taught a couple of people this way with pretty good success. Simply have them pretend they are dozing off and the mouth is falling open. Jaw, face, lip, cheek, everything relaxed. Put the harp in. draw on the harp and keep tilting to you hit the sweet spot. MUST stay relaxed. They all had a good rich tone on two hole draw the first lesson.
exactly... lip pursing... pucker same thing
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Blocker
148 posts
Jun 22, 2014
7:28 PM
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I am on a roll posting this week thanks to Frank, so I thought I would put my two cents worth in here.
The way I was taught to play single notes was exactly as harpdude61 explains with a deep relaxed embouchure. The technique specifically requires you not to purse or pucker your lips. So using those terms to describe what the player is doing seems a bit silly to me.
The harp is tilted slightly and the inside of the bottom lip blocks the holes either side of the single note you are playing, which of course allows you to get more of the harp in your mouth, drop your jaw and increase the size to the chamber for a fuller tone (in the same way tongue blocking does).
To me this is quite different to pursing your lips to form a small hole at the front of your mouth in order to isolate a single note.
Last Edited by Blocker on Jun 22, 2014 7:30 PM
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nacoran
7824 posts
Jun 22, 2014
7:34 PM
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If we are drawing this distinction, I think it might be useful to note that lips really have two parts- the outside and the inside. I'll define the inside as where it would start to feel funny to start applying chapstick. If I understand the distinction, pursing uses the outside- the part of your lips touching the harp is basically pretty much touching the edge of one hole, where lip blocking you are using the inside of your lower lip and either side of the inside of the lip can be touching. Control of which hole you are hitting (at least for me) seems to be more about angling the harp side to side rather sliding it back and forth.
Or at least that's my understanding. As for whether it's a useful distinction- I think maybe it is. It helps make you think about what your mouth is doing, so it clarifies a few things.
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Nate
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harpdude61
2024 posts
Jun 22, 2014
8:08 PM
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1847....read Blocker's post. Well said Blocker. 1847..the two big differences are the tilt of the harp and the relaxed muscles. NO PUCKER ALLOWED!..lol
nacaron..lost me on that side to side tilt. I'm talking about tilting the back of the harp up.
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Last Edited by harpdude61 on Jun 22, 2014 8:10 PM
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dougharps
656 posts
Jun 22, 2014
8:13 PM
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EDIT:
I HAVE LEFT THE CONTENT FOR THE SAKE OF THE THREAD. I DID NOT HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF "LIP BLOCKING" WHEN I WROTE THIS, SO APPLY AS MANY GRAINS OF SALT AS ARE NEEDED.
@jnorem
I don't know about your tone, it may be great, no bad intention on my part. My opinion on pucker tone is based on what I have heard from others' playing who purse/pucker as defined below.
Also, I played clarinet as a kid and I remember when my lips became tired there was a lot of squealing. When I started harp my lips would sometimes tire. I think I was pursing at first.
@Winslow
Until last year I thought I played mainly lip pursed or puckered. A thread last year(?) talked about tilting the harp in a relaxed embouchure and initially I argued against tilting. Then I looked in a mirror and saw that I tilt the harp. I wasn't pursing or puckering. I see those as the same, lips extended as though making a kissy sound. Lip block I see as the embouchure described by harpdude61 at the top. It is what I discovered that I do...
@harpdude61
In your later post you said, "To me Lip Pursing offers the biggest sound cavity or resonator because the jaw is dropped as much as possible and totally relaxed, plus the tongue is down and out of the way on long single notes." I think you meant to say "Lip Blocking."
@all
I do play splits and octaves with tongue on the harp and have been working on single note tongue block to add the technique. It is a good way to go back to single notes after octaves and splits. I still can't bend well with tongue on harp (though I am working on it), but I can play single notes, tongue on harp. No corner switching yet.
However, I usually play with my tongue off the harp except for when I want splits (or slaps with octaves or splits.)
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Jun 25, 2014 9:37 PM
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1847
1884 posts
Jun 22, 2014
8:41 PM
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i will re-read blockers post.
in the meantime please re-read iceman's bluesjacket man's
winslow's and time is tight post.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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BluesJacketman
156 posts
Jun 22, 2014
9:25 PM
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Isn't funny how all Lippers(Hows that for a term?) are so insecure about what to call there embouchure? Its because you all know you cannot get as big a tone as you can tongue blocking.
Can't you guys please stop giving us so much lip?
HAHA!
Last Edited by BluesJacketman on Jun 22, 2014 9:38 PM
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jpmcbride
63 posts
Jun 22, 2014
9:42 PM
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Personally I see no reason to make the distinction. As far as I'm concerned there is puckering (or call it whatever you want) and then TB, and of course the rare U-Block.
The distinctions made concerning the different kinds of puckering are to me just variations on the same thing. Just my opinion ... but I believe some pucker players are defensive because they've heard too many TB players talk about TB being the only way to get good tone. In their defensiveness, they attempt to rename it to make a distinction between what they do and what beginner pucker players do. If you pucker (or lip block or whatever you prefer to call it) do it proudly and with great tone and ignore anyone that has anything negative to say about it!
I'm a TB player by the way :-)
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Jim McBride
www.bottleoblues.com
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jnorem
310 posts
Jun 22, 2014
10:05 PM
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Defensive? Why should someone be defensive about their embouchure? If it works then you're feeling fine.
Play whatever embouchure works for you. The right way is the way that works.
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Call me J
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nacoran
7825 posts
Jun 22, 2014
10:14 PM
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Harpdude, what I'm getting at is that in my grip/embouchure, I tilt the harp up. When I play the pucker style, the harp is flat and if you measured out from the front of my face you'd find the harp was perpendicular to the air column I'm creating. I'm blowing towards one reed, dead on. Lib blocking though, the harp is no longer parallel to the front of my face- it's approaching a 45 degree angle, sitting mostly on my right cheek. That's giving me all sorts of points of contact with my lip, but mainly,...
Well, if you think of the point of pucker as the fulcrum on a teeter totter, and the harmonica as the plank- I keep that fulcrum in place but open my embouchure to let me play all along my mouth. If I want to play a 6 hole, I pull the upper end of my harp into my mouth more than I slide the center of my pucker, and I angle my breath down the front instead of straight in.
The exact opposite approach is the pure pucker, where the lips don't move at all, but the harp slides parallel to the front of the face (perpendicular to the air column).
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Nate
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didjcripey
761 posts
Jun 22, 2014
11:04 PM
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Peoples mouths are shaped differently.
How people perceive what they are doing varies.
Some embouchures work better for some than others.
I think its usually agreed that a tight 'kissy' shape is not desirable.
You might want to create a new term for what you do, but I think if we wanted to we could create dozens of terms for different embouchures and muddy the waters even further. I think essentially the embouchure either blocks holes with the tongue or with the lips. Whether you call it lip blocking, pucker or pursing is splitting hairs.
If you would like 'Lip Blocking' recognised, I'd say you need to convince a majority of players that what you do is significantly different, and substantially better, than what the rest of us think we are doing.
Harp players seem to be a fairly conservative mob, so, good luck.
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Lucky Lester
Last Edited by didjcripey on Jun 22, 2014 11:31 PM
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STME58
935 posts
Jun 22, 2014
11:08 PM
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A person is walking home over a bridge when they spot someone on the other side of the railing about to jump. “Don’t jump”, they say,” It’s never as bad as it seems in your darkest moment.”. “No one understands me, I’m a musician” comes the reply.
“ Wow, I’m a musician too, what style do you play?”
“Blues”
“Why, I play blues too, I’m sure we could understand each other. What instrument do you play?”
“Harmonica”
“I also play harmonica. It must have been providence that sent me by here. Do you tongue block or lip purse?”
“Lip Purse”
“Ughh! Go ahead and jump!”
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slackwater
59 posts
Jun 23, 2014
1:06 AM
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Nomenclature! As William Shakespeare said:
"What is in a name? You can call a turd whatever you like, it still smells like shit."
Or words to that affect.
Last Edited by slackwater on Jun 23, 2014 1:07 AM
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Frank
4620 posts
Jun 23, 2014
3:54 AM
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The Quest for Tone...by David Barrett
Embouchure
The first place to start is with your embouchure. Embouchure for the harmonica player encompasses the throat, jaw, tongue and lips; all of which affect tone. The easiest way to explain what is considered a good embouchure is to yawn.
The throat opens, the jaw drops and the tongue lowers to the floor of the mouth. The result is a large airway for warm air to travel in and out of the harmonica.
The Lips
Many blues players (including myself) use what's called the tilted embouchure. By tilting the face of the harmonica downward (up to forty-five degrees) the single hole is created from the curvature of the lower lip.
This frees the upper lip to ride up on the top cover plate as high as the player wants. When tongue blocking, this embouchure is also desirable because the tilt of the harmonica allows you to use the broad top of the tongue instead of the tip.
This makes general tongue blocking techniques like pulls and five-hole octaves much easier to achieve and in general sound better due to achieving more even coverage over the holes.
The Tongue
Placement of the tongue is a very important factor. Most people, even when they think the tongue is down, unknowingly hump the middle to back of their tongue up. If the tongue impedes the airway, it will cause your tone to be weak, flat and/or airy.
Start by looking in the mirror and yawning. Notice the placement of your tongue. Is it humped up in the back? If it is in the correct location, it should be sitting on the floor of the mouth, with the top of the tongue pretty much level with the top of your lower teeth.
As time goes on you can have your tongue rest higher in the mouth, but until you are able to control the placement of your tongue (this will happen naturally over time) it's best to just leave it out of the way.
BAD
GOOD
Last Edited by Frank on Jun 23, 2014 3:56 AM
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The Iceman
1759 posts
Jun 23, 2014
4:12 AM
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There are many paths up the mountain, but the view from the top is the same.
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The Iceman
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harpdude61
2025 posts
Jun 23, 2014
5:12 AM
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Thank you Frank!!
Isn't it funny how people can't carry on a civil discussion because they don't understand something of fear thinking outside the box.
Insecure? C'mon bluesjacket...I love my tone. I'm far from insecure. The people that know me are laughing at you.
I love the comedians on this forum. Rather than add an honest opinion or really think about what the OP is saying, they would rather make fun of him and hope for laughs than be a part of something that might help a player that wants to learn from it.
In no way did I slam TBing or say lip blocking was best for everyone. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear great TBing.
I had no idea that David Barrett and I were on the same page. I did comment earlier that with the tilted harp is easy for me to switch between single note
lip blocking and the TB octaves I often use.
Funny how some of you say that Lip Blocking and Lip purse pucker are the same thing.
Someone said they must be different to qualify as separate styles.
LIP PURSE/PUCKER.....Lips in a kissy pucker shape and the harmonica is level.
LIP BLOCKING......Lips , mouth, jaw, and all facial muscles totally relaxed (no pucker shape)..Harp is tilted as the like-minded David Barrett displays above.
Come on funny people and those that refuse to expand the harmonica world with what is possible. Do your thing!.....Seems anyone that cared would want to know what some of the greats are doing whether they use it or not.
Thank to those of you that respond with an open mind and do care about broadening your horizons.
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www.facebook.com/catfishfryeband
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tmf714
2594 posts
Jun 23, 2014
5:58 AM
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tmf714
2595 posts
Jun 23, 2014
5:58 AM
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tmf714
2596 posts
Jun 23, 2014
6:00 AM
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Frank
4623 posts
Jun 23, 2014
6:06 AM
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In all actuality Lip Blocking is being recognized and mentioned by players more and more...
I mentioned LB seems like 10 years ago on Harp-l and recently (within the last 5 years) I see a lot of players referring to their playing as Lip Blocking rather then Pursing or Puckering...
It is all going to boil down to a players personal Semantically leaned ideology.
PROOF about either embouchures usage will not be enough to change the mind of dogmatic players on what they are going to call it ex: a lip block or a pucker/purse...
This subject is purely "Partisan" and the perception of the embouchure is going to be that players reality...
Sure Some will change their mind and switch views/sides, but others are dug in and will never budge their verbage when describing either embouchure.
Last Edited by Frank on Jun 23, 2014 6:18 AM
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tmf714
2597 posts
Jun 23, 2014
6:12 AM
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tmf714
2598 posts
Jun 23, 2014
6:21 AM
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My posts above are to simply distinguish between the different mouth shapes-embouchures- lip pursing and lip blocking. The bottom illustration is provided by JP Allen. He refers to it as Larry does-the relaxed embouchure-i.e.,lip blocking.
As far as the lip blocking term-Jerry Portnoy has always referred to that particular embouchure as lip block-he covers it in his 1997 Harmonica Masterclass cd/booklet.
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harpdude61
2026 posts
Jun 23, 2014
6:26 AM
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TMF has always thought a video from a pro was the bottom line...hmmm I guess David Barrett ranks way lower than Glenn and Jerry as a teacher.
Evidently no one has clued in Glenn or Jerry that the harmonica world is expanding. Did you see Jerry's fish mouth in the video...lol... They need to learn from David Barrett. I see no fish mouth in the above illustrations. Wonder if these guys have ever heard of overblows and overdraws??
As far as Adam? He is opened minded and I'm sure he is willing to accept change and growth in the harmonica world.
Curious..do any of you full time 100% TBers tilt the harp?
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harpdude61
2027 posts
Jun 23, 2014
6:31 AM
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I stand corrected tmf. I applaud you for sharing the differences in lip pucker/purse and lip blocking.
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www.facebook.com/catfishfryeband
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tmf714
2599 posts
Jun 23, 2014
6:33 AM
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Like I said-Jerry and Glenn are showing the lip purse method-not lip block.
JP's diagram is showing the lip block shape.
Its nothing new that your talking about-lip blocking has been around for a long,long time.
Im a 100% tongue blocker-no-I never tilt the harp.
Your welcome-
Last Edited by tmf714 on Jun 23, 2014 6:34 AM
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Frank
4624 posts
Jun 23, 2014
6:55 AM
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I don't tilt for TBing either but for LBing yes...
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isaacullah
2828 posts
Jun 23, 2014
7:12 AM
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Hey guys! To quote Rodney Dangerfield "I get no respect"! :)
Ok, onto the serious part of my post. To those that don't believe that the pucker/lip purse is different than the lip block, sorry guys, the facts ain't on your side. Just because the lips are "involved" in both embouchures does not mean they are the same. They are, in fact, very different, and require very different ways of holding the harp to the mouth, very different ways of focusing on a single note, very differnt ways of "slapping" between chords and single notes, and produce very different tone (in their "natural" positions). By necessity, the pucker/lip purse (IMO, the same thing), does not allow you to open your mouth very wide. This is because BOTH lips are used to focus on the single hole. That is to say, that BOTH lips have to be right up on the hole being played. Now, there is "better" and "worse" way of doing the pucker, and that relates to WHICH part of the lips are sealing around the hole. The "worse" way uses the "outside" of the lips (to use nacoran's terms, the part you put chapstick on). The "better" way uses the "inside" of the lips (the part that you don't put chapstick on). This is the recommend way that you read about in a lot of books (Winslow's great book included) and see on videos - the "Fish Lips" technique vs. the "kissing your grandma" technique.
In contrast, the Lip Block uses ONLY the lower lip to focus on the single note, and the upper lip can be ANYWHERE on the top coverplate of the harp. The bottom lip makes a "U" around the focus hole, and thus "Blocks" the holes to the right and left. This is truly a "block" because it is easy to simply pull the lower lip down to play a chord, and "slap" it back to add a precussive attack when doing so. It is MUCH harder to do that with a true "pucker", so much so, that I'm convinced that any "pucker" player that does these kinds of "lip slaps" must actually be doing a lip block, at least during that part. See the two videos I've made on this subject:
Now, as to the "what sounds better" debate. This is, in my opinion, THE SILLIEST debate that continually rages in the harmonica world. TB, LB, LP - none of them sound "better" than any other. They simply sound "different", and the sounds they make may or may not be more appropriate for a particular musical style than the others. I was fortunate to get to know the real Chris Michalek before he died (and not just his internet persona, the infamous Buddha). He was actually one of the most open-minded harmonica players I've ever met. If he came across a new technique (or harp, or tuning style, etc), he'd give it a try. Most times, he'd find what was good about it (and pretty quick), and then simply just add it to his repertoire. He taught me very early on that "good" tone was important, but that having only ONE tone was boring. Sometimes you WANT to have thin, piercing tone. Sometimes you would rather have big round, open tone. And if you can easily achieve both (because you've practiced doing so), you can make some really moving music, that uses each type of tone to convey the emotions that accompany them.
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YouTube! Soundcloud!
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The Iceman
1761 posts
Jun 23, 2014
7:17 AM
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When TBing, I do tilt the harmonica up about 45 degrees.
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The Iceman
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Frank
4627 posts
Jun 23, 2014
7:21 AM
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Your sure you're not Lip blocking when you tilt Larry, you're a purser aren't you, I thought you didn't know how to TB...I know you're great at puckering:)
Last Edited by Frank on Jun 23, 2014 7:48 AM
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The Iceman
1762 posts
Jun 23, 2014
8:49 AM
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Frank...have been secretly working exclusive TB for a year or two. Have arrived at quite an interesting level for TB...
real busy w/gourmet food endeavor, but am moving closer to learning how to record/video with the intention of posting some of my conclusions.
I know, I know, it's long overdue, but I seem to move slow towards computer related skills.
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The Iceman
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eebadeeb
55 posts
Jun 23, 2014
9:35 AM
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So TBers. unless you have two tongues or a forked tongue you will not be blocking both sides of the hole. For the side, or sides that you are not blocking with your tongue are you puckering or lip blocking?
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tmf714
2600 posts
Jun 23, 2014
9:46 AM
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@eebadeeb-neither-
I am either blocking the three holes to the left or right-unless im playing splits-center hole blocked of the three holes played ,or octaves-two or three holes blocked.There is not two sides of the hole on a diatonic harmonica.
Last Edited by tmf714 on Jun 23, 2014 9:53 AM
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tmf714
2601 posts
Jun 23, 2014
9:50 AM
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harpdude61
2028 posts
Jun 23, 2014
10:09 AM
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Go my buddy Isaac! He and I have had this discussion before. I forgot I made this video about three years ago. I'll try to make a new one soon to show licks I have learned since while lip blocking and blend in what I have picked up on TBing....anyway..this is all done lip blocking..the tongue never touches the harmonica
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eebadeeb
56 posts
Jun 23, 2014
10:11 AM
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Your diagram shows your tongue blocking three holes to the left of your note and pucker/lip/mouth corner blocking the holes to the right of your note. So you are half tongue blocking and half puckering. The only 100% tongue blocking is U-blocking.
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eebadeeb
57 posts
Jun 23, 2014
10:17 AM
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Also, U-blocking is very nearly identical to lip-blocking as harpdude61 describes it.
I think "tongue blocking" should only refer to U-blocking. Tongue to one side blocking should be tongue-puckering and tongue center blocking should be tongue-pucker splitting.
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STME58
936 posts
Jun 23, 2014
10:20 AM
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One of the best thing for me about this thread is it has encouraged me to work on my tongue blocking technique and to really explore the differences and similarities between the various embouchures. Trying to play thing I would normally purse with a tongue block and visa versa (where possible). I think the is a lot more to be learned by exploring the methods used by others at a deep enough level to see why it works then there is in arguing why the way you use is better. I have leaned some by reading here, but I am learning more as I apply what I have read in the woodshed. The discussion hear has guided and motivated the woodshed work.
Last Edited by STME58 on Jun 23, 2014 10:24 AM
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