slaphappy, thank yo so much! I use u-block all the time. I'm not curling the tongue, it's more like blocking the hole from both sides by the tip of the tongue :) ---------- Konstantin Kolesnichenko(Ukraine) http://kolesnichenko-harmonica.com/
Great playing Konstantin!!! Love it! I often use that same technique and find it very effective. You have a great mic and amp sound! Very cool tribute to LW. ---------- Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time. Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark .
Thank you so much, MP! Joe Lee Bush in the book about Little Walter said that Walter played with u-block too :) ---------- Konstantin Kolesnichenko(Ukraine) http://kolesnichenko-harmonica.com/
1847, It's astatic jt-30 with CM from 70s into Lone-wolf harp break with T-rex delay through di-box into sound card :) My neighbors don't allow me to play loud through combo :) ---------- Konstantin Kolesnichenko(Ukraine) http://kolesnichenko-harmonica.com/
You deserve praise, Konstantin. Wow, interesting that Joe Lee said Walter U-blocked. He used to actually go and see LW in person so I believe Joe. ---------- Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time. Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark .
Last Edited by MP on Dec 09, 2017 6:43 PM
Joe Lee Bush said that Little Walter U-blocked all the time. He has sporadically posted about the subject on Internet forums for years. He usually leaves when beginners call into question his knowledge about the harp. He doesn't put up with a lot of bullshit.
slaphappy, It's on 121 page:). When Joe was on this forum he wrote about U-block and Walter too. BTW among famous u-blockers are Mark Ford, Norton Buffalo and John Nemeth :) ---------- Konstantin Kolesnichenko(Ukraine) http://kolesnichenko-harmonica.com/
If it was interview on bluesharmonica.com by David Barrett, then later in it he discovered that he was think all his life that U-block is Tongue-block method. ---------- Konstantin Kolesnichenko(Ukraine) http://kolesnichenko-harmonica.com/
Last Edited by wheel on Dec 13, 2017 8:35 AM
Slalphappy, "how do you U-block without curling? It seems like using the tip would block the hole you are trying to play. I can't get my head around it."
It's hard to describe but I'll try :) I flatten the tip of my tongue against the comb. In that way the hole became blocked from the both sides. I think I curl my tongue a little bit but not that much. I'm not Michelangelo :) sorry ---------- Konstantin Kolesnichenko(Ukraine) http://kolesnichenko-harmonica.com/
I messed around a bit the last 2 nights (because of this thread) and came up with exactly the approach you have pictured there. I know I'm doing it because I feel the air channel over the the middle of my tongue and if I remove my tongue, a chord sounds so it's not like this is just a pucker with tongue on the harp.
It doesn't feel as un-natural as times when I've tried previous, something clicked when you said "tip of the toungue" and I tried and didn't worry about the curl so much.
It's still awkward for me and will take some getting used to but it's a different tone and allows for slaps that sound the holes to the right and left of the note which is a cool texture you can't get any other way. Our own Michael Rubin has a really cool primer on U-block BTW
That diagram shows my embouchure exactly except that my harp is tilted at a slight angle downward in my mouth. ---------- Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time. Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark .
slaphappy, you are welcome! Very good article. Thank you. Michael is good overblower and it proves that u-block don't have limitations.
MP, maybe my harp tilted with some angle too, but I never saw it :) asilve3, thank you so much! ---------- Konstantin Kolesnichenko(Ukraine) http://kolesnichenko-harmonica.com/
