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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Types of bending?
Types of bending?
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Bugsy
2 posts
Aug 31, 2011
10:52 AM
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When I first started playing harmonica and bending, I did it a certain way, and thought that was that. However, a couple months ago it seemed that I found a different... way to bend. I think it has to do with the part of my tongue I use, I dunno. It sounds better (on most holes), but seems to use more air.
Anyways, I was just wondering if there really are multiple ways to bend, and your opinions on them, or if it is all in my head.
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The Iceman
81 posts
Aug 31, 2011
12:31 PM
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After careful analysis over 10 years in conjunction with teaching diatonic harmonica, my conclusion is that bending is created by raising the tongue in certain areas (sweet spots) - depending on which bend you go for. Once the pin point sweet spot is determined, it isn't even much tongue movement. My explanation for the myriad of conclusions about bending reached by so many others is that, when they bend using what they may describe as "dropping the jaw", "opening the throat", etc, they are actually using the tongue correctly, but bundling it together with other movements/muscles that are not necessary - feeling it as ONE THING. The trick is to get to the essence, unbundle all the movements and eliminate what is not necessary to creating a bend.
For most bends, no breath force is necessary at all. The only ones that use a little extra diaphragm support are the "Overbends".
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The Iceman
Last Edited by on Aug 31, 2011 12:32 PM
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mlefree
50 posts
Sep 01, 2011
9:42 AM
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Bugsy, I'm a bit surprised that you haven't had a better response so far. I'll add to what Larry said.
First off, I'd advise taking the Iceman's words to heart. After all, he's a world harmonica champion, not me. However, with all due respect, IMHO, his insights here aren't really a very good starting point for understanding bending. Let me take stab at it based on how I discovered what I'll call "tongue bending" versus "throat bending."
Most every harmonica student first learns to bend articulating the "oooh/eeeh" vowel sounds (sans the vocalization) as they draw breath into the harp. That's because it's the easiest way to get into bending. This is what I call tongue bending. But soon the student discovers that when s/he bends using the tongue alone s/he can't achieve the full depth of the bends. That's where "dropping the jaw" leads to a deeper bend, but still even that isn't enough to achieve the full range of bent notes they know are available on the instrument. This is where many students hit a "brick wall" on their learning curve.
The problem is that most students start with the "pucker" embouchure. The pucker embouchure is the quickest and easiest method to isolate single notes, but it doesn't promote incorporating the rest of your airways to achieve those really deep bends. That's where I was stuck until I was "forced" by an early teacher to try "u-block" bending (where you roll the tongue to get a single note, Norton Buffalo style; that's the only embouchure he felt comfortable teaching). I just couldn't get those really deep bends to happen.
So one day on a long lonely drive I took out a harp and worked on that u-block. Finally after an hour or so I got it and then I began exploring the harp using it. Whoa! I could barely bend at all because the way I had learned to bend using the tongue was no longer possible because my tongue was anchored to the front of the harp.
Had I not known that a u-blocking player could indeed achieve those bends (my teacher could execute them very effectively), I would have given up. But I still had a few hundred miles to drive, so I persevered. Boy am I glad I did! I had heard of the concept of "throat bending" but at that point I had no idea what it meant or how to do it. I was trying to move the back of my tongue around and was starting to get some results when I remembered reading about using the "yawn" muscles to bend, so I started trying that in conjunction with moving the back of my tongue around. Suddenly, I was popping much deeper bends than ever before! That was one of my most exciting moments along my harmonica "discovery trail." Soon, it was easy for me to transfer that experience back fo my original pucker embouchure. Finally I was able to get the full range of bends, even on low key harps (well, down to low-C anyway).
At the time I was very fortunate to have had an ongoing e-mail exchange with the great Douglas Tate (no longer with us, unfortunately; I had contactd him after reading both of his fine books, which I highly recommend -- see Amazon). We had a physics and engineering background in common so he knew I would appreciate learning about "Helmoholtz resonators" (Google the term). He reminded me that enclosed chambers have a "natural resonant frequency," and that larger chambers resonate at lower frequencies while smaller chambers resonate at higher frequencies. You've seen this if you've ever blown into a pop bottle. You've also done this successfully, even though you may not have know it, when you bent notes up to this point.
So the scoop on bending is this: as I said, carefully study what Larry said above about finding that sweet spot on your tongue, but interpret that under the light of the knowledge that smaller cavities naturally resonate at higher frequencies than larger ones. In other words, Larry describes the "finer" adjustments needed to achieve a particular bent note, and the use of the entirety of your airways can be considered the "course" adjustments. You cannot get a low bend with a small oral chamber, nor can you get a high bend with a large oral chamber. You have already discovered that you need smaller oral cavities when you play high keyed harps and larger oral cavities with lower keyed instruments, right? So you must learn to use your tongue as Larry describes in conjunction with adjustments at the back of your throat (the yawn muscles) and even down all the way to your diaphragm to get the really deep bent notes, especially on low-keyed harps. [Note that the bonus is that control over these same elements lead to superior tone, even on unbent notes.]
So Bugsy, that's a mouthful (literally), but it's the whole truth and nothing but the truth about bending. I'd only add that I wish that first teacher of mine had been a tongue block player. To me that is a far more versatile embouchure than either pucker or u-block. I would have learned the same things about using the back of my throat, etc., but I'd have been up further on my learning curve.
Keep working at it and let us know how you do. :)
Michelle
Last Edited by on Sep 01, 2011 9:49 AM
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nacoran
4540 posts
Sep 01, 2011
10:26 AM
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mlefree, nice explanation! That's the first time I've heard the physics underlying it. It's always been 'move your tongue this way', 'move your tongue that way'.
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Nate
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The Iceman
82 posts
Sep 01, 2011
3:38 PM
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The yawning that Michelle describes is the best way to set yourself up for maximum tone. I call it the "pre yawn" setting. When you just begin your yawn, you will find that the back of your throat opens up and widens. With a little introspection, you can learn to gently flex these muscles to keep this attitude. (btw, this is the only time I suggest putting energy into musculature and keeping it there).
This is the attitude that is taught at DJ School for that deep "LUKE, I AM YOUR FATHER" James Earl Jones resonance.
However, this whole aspect is totally independent from the minimal effort needed to bend (as stated above when I mentioned "bundling" aspects together assuming they are one).
Once you understand the raising of the tongue sweet spot, you can literally get all deep bends while keeping your teeth touching at the front of your mouth - i.e., you don't need to open the throat or drop the jaw to achieve them. I've demonstrated this in classes and also have taught students (beginners are the easiest as they don't have preconceived ideas or bad habits to undo)this technique and they have all been able to deep bend with their teeth touching.
To help you understand the areas in your mouth, say "TDK" like the old cassette tape brand. Notice that you tongue touches the roof of your mouth in different spots. For instance - 4 hole inhale bend. Pretend the tip of your tongue is super glued to the back of your lower teeth. Inhale and slowly raise that area of your tongue and aim for between the "D" and the "K" spot - almost like making the tongue go for the "Rrrrr" spot. Don't use any force at all, simply inhale and slowly raise that area of the tongue. With a little experimentation, you should begin to get the technique and fine tune where the tongue arches up.
Once again, it takes almost no movement or effort at all once you grasp the concept.
btw, just cause I won some World Championship Awards for harmonica doesn't mean that I automatically know how to teach technique. These discoveries came from over 15 years of teaching, refining, analysis and experimentation on diatonic, as well as total success with this approach in teaching hundreds of students over the years.
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The Iceman
Last Edited by on Sep 01, 2011 3:39 PM
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lumpy wafflesquirt
419 posts
Sep 02, 2011
2:37 PM
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thanks guys.
I read this this morning and then got out my lowD sp20/turbolid at lunchtime. Somehow what you said got me trying the bends a bit differently and I managed some more that I was struggling with. I didn't know whether it was just the low harp that made them hard or if it was the fatter body of the turbo lid. I could almost feel the note resonating in my chest, a bit weird but I need to work on that. I can't do it every time yet :^( or on every hole.
it's the big resonating chamber for low notes thing.
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"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
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