slimjim
2 posts
May 09, 2011
8:08 PM
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Lately I've been working on bending while tonguing, and I'm finding it tricky. When I lip-purse my bends are strong, clean and accurate, and controlling them is no problem. When I have my tongue on the comb, I find it much harder to control bends: I get a lot of saliva going into the holes and because I tend to channel some of the air through my nose I get a weird sound almost like snoring. And the tone is much weaker too. I'm thinking of giving up on this technique if I can't get it to sound like my normal bending, but I'd like the convenience of being able to switch from tongue-blocked chords, octaves or natural notes to bends without changing embouchre.
Any tips on how to bend while tongue-blocking would be much appreciated. Cheers.
Last Edited by on May 09, 2011 8:08 PM
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5F6H
657 posts
May 10, 2011
3:51 AM
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Close off your nose when you bend.
As to the saliva issue...keep your head up & don't face downwards.
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Littoral
288 posts
May 10, 2011
5:06 AM
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It is worth it. Just pick one and consciously try to use it when you are already tongue blocking a note. They'll get easier. The tone is very special and not the same as LP.
It is. Promise.
Yo, can-o-worms, back in the hole.
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mr_so&so
433 posts
May 10, 2011
8:49 AM
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As someone who went to the trouble of relearning all the bends (and some overblows) in TB embouchre, I can also say it is worth it. Keep at it. Having an arsenal of techniques is good.
If were to offer advice, I'd say start with the 4d bend. Once you get that one, move on to the other draw bends one by one.
The blow bends require a bit of a different technique. I found by pushing my tongue forward (arching it, and thinking about directing the air stream downward into the harp) was a good way to get going.
As you start getting the bends keep experimenting with technique and relaxation until you get what works best for you. This takes some time and patience.
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Last Edited by on May 10, 2011 8:50 AM
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roadharp
67 posts
May 10, 2011
3:05 PM
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Try playing the blues scale da ew ta ew da da ta 2d 3
d bent1/4 4 b 4d bent 1/4 4d 5d 6b. And back see if that helps .
Last Edited by on May 10, 2011 3:09 PM
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528hemi
209 posts
May 10, 2011
7:25 PM
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I started with Jon Gindick's book and videos on youtube and learned puckering and bending puckering my first year. I did not know much about tongue blocking. I then spent another year just Tongue blocking everything and relearning how to bend tongue blocked. At first it also sounded weak but trust me, if you stay with it it gets as good as puckering. I wanted to go back to puckering after trying to TB after 2 months but hung with it.
I found I needed to adjust my amberture on the face of the harp to get a sweet sound as well as adjustments to the cavity of my mouth. It just takes alot of practice until you just find what works. The positive part is you know what it suppose to sound like so you do have a reference.
Now that I have been Tb'ing, puckering feels strange :)
except for the high blow bends which I am still working on Tb'ing
Keep with it, you will get it!
Last Edited by on May 10, 2011 7:28 PM
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mlefree
44 posts
May 12, 2011
10:55 AM
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A few tips on TB bending:
1) Start with a low-key harp, eg. A.
2) Don't forget all the usual tips on playing with good tone: staighten your throat, airways and posture; breath from the diaphragm; drop your jaw and tongue, etc.
3) Understand that bending involves tuning the size of the resonant chamber, i.e., your mouth, throat and lungs, to the resonant frequency of the desired note.
4) Since the tip of your tongue is anchored to the harp at the front of your mouth, you need to figure out a way to expand the volume inside your mouth in different ways from most everything you learned in pucker bending.
5) In additiuon to dropping your jaw way down and forcing your tongue to the bottom of your mouth like you do with pucker bending, try squashing your tongue to the left side of your mouth (assuming you are left TB'ing) to create a larger passage for the air along the side of your tongue.
6) For the lower notes you need to learn to open the back of your throat (if you haven't already). The trick is opening it gradually and smoothly to get the "fine" adjustment to the extent needed to achieve a particular bent note.
7) Use a tuner or a keyboard to teach your ear and muscle memory when you've hit the right bent note.
8) Since much of this involves using new muscles or old muscles in new ways, like others have said, practice and repetition are key to being able to using your bending in your playing.
Stick with it, slimjim, and let us know how you do. I've been working at it for a couple of years and still I'm not where I really want to be. Like 528hemi, I'm still working on those pesky high blow bends.
Michelle
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slimjim
3 posts
May 18, 2011
3:31 PM
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Lots of great advice. This is all very helpful, so thanks everyone. I'll keep you posted on how I progress.
Cheers, Jim
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blade
1 post
May 25, 2011
3:15 AM
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guys n gals
I forgot I was a member of this great site. I have been banging my head against a wall trying to get to bend by TB. Michelle I like the tounge suggestion thanks now to work on that
Regards from England
Ed
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