I would love to hear some perspectives on tongue-blocking - when do you use it and why? Why do you prefer it to lip-pursing?
Personally, I lip-pucker probably 3/4 of the time, and generally only tongue-block for octaves, slaps, and pulls. When I tongue-block, I put my tongue on the left and play out of the right side of my mouth.
So the reason I tongue-block is to get those sounds that you can't get with lip-puckering (aside from the "lip slap".) I also sometimes like to use tongue-blocking as a way of skipping around on the harp - such as playing 2 draw lip-pursed, tongue-slapping to 4 blow, then going back to 2 draw lip-pursed. All while avoiding the 3 hole.
Does anyone exclusively tongue-block, even for plain single notes? Why? Do you get better tone that way? Better control over bends? More comfort?
"So the reason I tongue-block is to get those sounds that you can't get with lip-puckering (aside from the "lip slap".)" Absolutely!
"I also sometimes like to use tongue-blocking as a way of skipping around on the harp - such as playing 2 draw lip-pursed, tongue-slapping to 4 blow, then going back to 2 draw lip-pursed. All while avoiding the 3 hole." And a whole lot more stuff in moving around on the harp. Lots of effects that I can't get otherwise.
"Do you get better tone that way?" It is a different tone. I like both and use both to make the song more interesting. The enunciation of notes or chords is different with each style in the way they sound and I like that.
Ok, I'll take the bate, but we've gone over this ground a few times. I think you've answered your own question for the most part. There are some good reasons for TBing.
I happen to have switched to exclusive TBing, for a few reasons: - it forces me to learn the techniques without falling back to the way I first learned (LP) i.e. I give the techniques a real try, which can take some months to relearn. - I find that when I'm TBing, I am more likely to use octaves/splits, slaps, pulls, etc., than when I'm LPing - I find it to be a more comfortable embouchure.
That said, some techniques like blow bends on 10 and overblows are more challenging to TB, but it's possible to learn how. If I was gigging, I'd be much less likely to go "whole hog" TBing like I have, because I'd want to sound my best. But I'm getting better and better as time goes on. ----------
Last Edited by on Nov 11, 2011 10:13 AM
Way back at the dawn of time, when I first got a harmonica, I tongue-blocked because that's what the instructions in the box said to do (and Tony Glover agreed).
In this century, when I picked it up again, everything I read said that lip-pursing was easier, so I tried to learn that way. I figured it out, finally, but found that I was more comfortable with the tongue block.
I haven't been able to crack TBed blow bends or overbends yet, but if I do, I'll probably tongue block full time. I like my tone better that way.
Come to think of it.. I played that Terry rythemn Gussow explained in one of his vids, but now I played it TBed. I think it's easier to get that that 'Jumpy feelin', so I'm thinking Sony terry TBed too. Anybody ideas about htat?
Since finding this place and the many other sources online, I've found my playing has changed dramatically. I've gone from playing 2nd position TB to almost LP. I seem to have a two hole embouchure and stick the tip of my tongue in the left hole as a kind of guide.
I want to learn bluesgrass and country which with tongue taps etc really requires a proper LP technique, so that's my goal, but as far as TB, I can bend and overblow fine. I also find I put the harp deeper in my mouth which gives me a superior tone.
Last Edited by on Nov 12, 2011 12:23 AM
Like jdblues i play LP most of the time and use TB to play octives,flutter and slapping i've tryed to only TB but loose my way around the harp i find it confusing.Do you think TB is the way forward and should i parsist,does it give you a richer tone?.
I never could understand why it would be one or the other rather than both. I can see having a preference; but still using both methods.
I am primarily a LP but I also use my tongue often. It just darts out (and the harp sinks deeper) when needed. I use TB for effect and for a somewhat dirtier sound. I use LP for a cleaner single note sound. But every song doesn't require a clean sound nor does it sound good at times to be clean on every note in blues IMO. Not on a harp anyway. On a harp we are able to play chords as well as single notes. At times it is cool to play both at the same time. Ever hear Stevie Ray Vaughan play guitar? He was the only guitar player in the band but could sound like two, playing rhythm and lead at the same time.
I'm no expert TB player but all I'm saying is that, although I am primarily a LP my tongue is never still. It's like an effects pedal with my foot constantly on it. ---------- Tommy
When I started watching Adam's videos I got the impression from him that there are people who tongue-block everything. So I began lip-pursing everything, but now I tongue block when I find it useful. Thinking about it, it can't be possible to tongue-block everything. How would such people tongue notes if their tongues are always pressed against the comb? ----------
Andrew. ----------------------------------------- Those who are tardy do not get fruit cup.
TB is certainly mandatory if you want to get the classic Chicago sound, whether you're talking John Lee Williamson (the 1930s/40s) or Big Walter and Little Walter (the 1950s). Sugar Blue told us last year at Hill Country Harmonica that he plays 100% TB, so if you want to play like him, you'll probably want to TB.
Andrew is correct: when you TB, which means by definition keeping your tongue on the harp, it becomes much harder to perform the sort of rapid double- and triple-tonguing that some harp players, including Magic Dick in "Whammer Jammer," have adapted from trumpet technique, whereby the tip of your tongue rapidly percusses against the roof of your mouth or against the back of your front teeth. The human tongue is unable to be in two places at the same time. If the tip or side of your tongue is flattened against the comb, it can't simultaneously be reaching over the comb to rapidly percuss against the front of your teeth. LP allows that latter move by relinquishing the against-the-comb move.
TB allows the player not just octaves, but a remarkably wide range of double stops and chords. I'm finding this particularly true as I work my way into the big chromatic. The big TB octaves are great, obviously, as is the thickness of the single notes when TB the notes just below, but I'm fascinated by the weird diminishy, seventhy double stops that you get in various positions by blocking one note and playing the note just above and below it. A LP would give all that stuff away.
TB for the same reason that you LP: you're a warrior, you never know what you'll encounter out there in the big bad world, and it's good arm yourselves with the widest possible range of weapons.
The final song on my new album is "Alley Cat" played LP on a high G harp (Joe Spiers Marine Band, Stage 1), with overblows on 4 and 5, ascending and descending. I think it would be extremely hard for a full-time TB to play it as smoothly and as in-tune as I play it. But I've learned never to say never, and I hope the full-time TB folk will take up the challenge. It's a chops-buster, either way.
Last Edited by on Nov 12, 2011 5:28 AM
What ever works,use it.I use any style that sounds good and helps keep control of the note and vibrato.I use my T. to cover the lower half of the hole ,on the upper five holes when i`m playing fast licks.this gives me alot of control going fast riffs to tb,bend or long held notes.this half cover hole style allows you to blow hard or soft without the note being killed,and it connects with gut breathing so the tone can be horn like,try it you might like it.......
Stevelegh, If you are puckering but your tongue is on the harp, one hole to the left of what your a playing as a guide, that is still tongue blocking. To pucker, your tongue should be off the harp.
Although triple tongue trumpet style techniques are probably impossible tongue blocked, you can tongue articulate a note tongue bloked by using the roof of your tongue to say Ta. Put your tip of your tongue on your bottom gumline and say ta ta ta. See? You can do it. It is not as pronounced as when puckered.
Straight from Dennis Gruenling: To tongue block bend the high notes, create a very small two hole opening with your mouth and only block one hole to your left. This method really opened up my tongue block blow bends. It is true the four hole chord slaps and pulls go away, but how often do you slap into a bend anyway. If you want the slap sound up high, do the four hole mouth spread and slap while not bending, then close the mouth to two holes for bending.
Yes, it is tongue blocking, but it seems unorthodox compared to the typical definition where you take 4 holes in your mouth and cover 3 with your tongue. I'm quite comfortable playing like that, but I'm finding that with the new techniques I've been learning over the last couple of years (overblows, blow bends), I've kind of evolved into this small embouchure tongue block that I've not heard of others using. My current goal is to eliminate the tongue completely and learn to lip purse as proficiently as tongue blocking or my weird tongue 'poking' as I like to call it.
Thanks for all the input, folks. I think I am going to practice tongue-blocking on the opposite side of my mouth so I really get fluent at it.
I have never thought about doing split chords while blocking only a single hole in the middle, I'll have to give that a try.
One other question - on positions. Does playing in a different position change your approach regarding embouchure? The way I see it, the chords that make tongue slaps so great really work best in 1st and 2nd position.
When playing, say, 5th position on a C harp (for an E-A-B progression), how can you appropriately incorporate tongue-slaps that bring in C and G chords?
Some may be alluding to it but I can't get it from their answers. So here it is. Another very important reason to TB is that when you progress to playing amplified, assuming you want that big fat sound, you need to learn that good cupping technique means not only sealing your hands around the mic, but also sealing off ALL the unplayed holes on the FRONT of the harp. Otherwise a lot of the sound pressure escapes out the front of the harp. This benefits your acoustic playing too - deepens your WAH tremendously - but in amplified playing it focuses 100% of the sound pressure on the mic and makes a huge difference in tone. It is really hard to do this if you LP as holes are usually exposed on both sides of your mouth. When you TB you solve that problem for the entire left side of the harp, leaving only the right side exposed. This you can seal using your cheek and your right thumb. ---------- /Greg
"When playing, say, 5th position on a C harp (for an E-A-B progression), how can you appropriately incorporate tongue-slaps that bring in C and G chords?''
Well, the short answer is, you can't. Btw, 5th position is an Em-Am-B progression.
Playing in 5th or 4th positions, you don't have hardly any chords available. You have a couple of fragments in 5th and i don't think you have any in 4th. So, the only advantage to TBing in those positions would be tonal.
Personally, I think a player drastically limits himself by relying heavily on chords. Even in 1st and 2nd positions the chords available are very primitive and they only fit limited material. You can fit diatonic harp to a wider and more sophisticated range of music if you don't rely so much on chords.
This ties into the ET/JI/compromise tuning thing. Since i play regularly in multiple positions, I think any tuning other than pure ET makes me sound out of tune. But i don't play many chords anyway. Personally, I don't see the appeal of playing an out of tune harp just so that the few primitive chords available (that are only usable in 1st, 2d and 3rd positions anyway) will sound smoother.
I am a mixed embouchure player. Some players claim that TB produces inherently superior tone. Well, that's because in order to TB the player is FORCED to do certain things that are essential for good tone. If a LP player makes a conscious and deliberate effort to do those things, I think the resulting tone is substantially equivalent to TB tone. What Greg is talking about is a different matter and his observations are certainly valid for achieving a particular type of tone many players find appealing.
There are some things that are only doable TBing and other things that work better LPing. But I don't find that TBing is necessarily better for good tone.
@groyster: "i have never got it straight how you can bend notes at the same time while TB the tongue is essential for effective draw bends on1.2,3,4 and 6 draw"
No. Personally don't use my tongue to draw bend and i think a player's tone is thinner if the tongue is used to draw bend. I bend LPing the same way i bend TBing--by constricting my throat (which is probably the root of my tongue which is so far back it feels like my throat) I also don't use my tongue to articulate separation between motes--I'll start and stop may diaphragm to do that unless i want/need an extreme staccato effect. If you think you need to use your tongue for this stuff, then learning to TB will improve your tone dramatically because it will FORCE you to stop doing things that make your tone thinner. This is part of what i mean when i say that TBing forces a player to do things that produce superior tone--but you don't NEED to TB in order to do those things which are necessary achieve good tone.
Another part of it is that TBing allows the player to get the harp into the mouth past the top and bottom teeth which creates a larger less obstructed oral resonance chamber. Also, TBing ncessarily creates a large air aperture. But, on the other hand, the tongue is high in the mouth when TBing .
Most players who LP use too small of an air aperture. Make as large an opening in the lips as possible consistent with getting a single note which is much larger than you probably think. Use very deep embouchure. TILT the holes of the harp towards your throat which gets the holes of the harp in your mouth past your TOP front teeth. Keep your tongue on the floor of your mouth when you play unless you need to play splits. The resulting oral resonance chamber will be large and substantially equivalent to what you get if you TB. There's actually more to it, (including, dropped relaxed jaw, open airway, consistently deep diaphragmatic air production, etc., etc.) a lot of which TBing FORCES you to do, but all of which can be done LPing if the player makes a conscious and deliberate effort.
Last Edited by on Nov 12, 2011 11:27 AM
thanks hvyj I am trying to develop an effective throat vibrato-it is by far the most diificult skill for me as an amateur harp player-never had a teacher dont know how much a coach can help you achieve this-I have no doubt whatsoever that TB is a great advantage but there are some brilliant players that lip purse only
@stevelegh I think I do something similar, or at least did when I started full-time TBing. It's only been recently that I've been fit to spread my tongue over a couple more holes and still bend effectively, suppose its a matter ofbuilding strength, takes time lemme tell ye.
I got into harp through Muddy Waters, its that Chicago sound I want so I fully TB. It's a long hard road and I'm still on it, but its Goddamn satisfying when the practice starts to pay off :)
@groyster: I primarily LP and generally think that trying to TB all the time isn't worth the aggravation. But if you are using your tongue to bend, I'm not surprised that you are having trouble with throat vibrato since throat bending and throat vibrato are essentially variations of the same skill set.
Full time TBing is important for players who place a lot of importance on imitating Little Walter style Chicago blues playing. That stuff is all in 2d, 3rd and 1st positions and uses the chords that are available on the harp. There's other ways to play that material, but some players are heavily into imitating those recordings note for note and to do that you need to TB.
Barrett and Portnoy place great importance on chording with tongue lifts which works great for that style but which, IMHO, is VERY limiting if a player is trying to play more sophisticated material. Can't play 4th or 5th positions using that style and you can't, for example, play a Miles Davis tune like "All Blues" in second position or "So What" in third position using that style, since those chords won't work although the NOTES you have on the harp will. Okay, some players will say they are not interested in playing any jazz. And that's fine, but there's a whole lot of other very cool material playable in 2nd or 3rd positions w/o OBs which is easily playable on diatonic but will sound like shit if you start chording. So, personally. I'm not a big proponent of full time TBing. I don't see much advantage to it.
BUT, TBing does force player to develop certain techniques that are essential to good tone. But you do NOT need to TB in order to implement those techniques. However, you DO need to TB in order to play octaves and other split intervals--but that's different from TBing full time
You know the Lee Sankey vid is pretty good. Lee likes to hear himself talk and you've got to listen to a lot of non-substantive babble before he gets to the point. But if you are patient enough to put up with all the hot air, when he finally gets to the substantive explanation of technique the vid is actually pretty good.
Last Edited by on Nov 12, 2011 1:36 PM
Best way to solve this conundrum -- or anyway get some decent consensus: record a randomized sequence of various riffs with both TB and LP and hear the difference, or in-differance. Do NOT include slaps or octaves etc. I would do it myself -- but my TB:ing is considerably worse than my LP, ao it wouldn´t be fair. (Also I don´t own a web camera ...) You will find, from a good player, the it´s no big issue. It´s just about the same.
Then let the TB radicals go on and on about it (like the comb material issue), they won´t be convinced --; but the rest of us could perhaps concentrate on impoertant things and playing interesting stuff (if we don´t do that alredy). Don´t mean to be controversial, but this has been gone over so many times.
"You will find, from a good player, the it´s no big issue. It´s just about the same."
FWIW, that's consistent with my experience.
Hey, do you like the Gary Moore tune "Still Got the Blues for You?" Really nice minor key blues, Try playing THAT with chords and tongue lifts.
However, there are some people who INSIST that the only way to play blues is to TB. I used to take them seriously, but as i acquired more experience, I've concluded that those people probably have some sort of psychological problem.
Last Edited by on Nov 12, 2011 1:51 PM
I play using a mix of TB (probably 70%), LP (25%) and even some U blocking (5%). I can bend in TB no problem. For what it's worth, I found that simply learning to tongue block (and learning to overblow, for that matter) greatly improved my overall tone, no matter what embouchure I use. Like Adam said above, each skill is another arrow in the quiver.
my first intro to bending was tony glovers book who recommended using tongue to bend along with tilting the harp up and gindicks book recommended tongue bending adams youtube lessons introduced me to vibrato so I have been limited to all that
It really depends on the song I'm playing at the moment that dictates what embouchure I'm going to utilize primarily...But I rarely use Lip Blocking exclusively. I usually start a song using TBing first and when I can tell the song would be better served adding LB, then i'll mix it up.
Last Edited by on Nov 12, 2011 8:00 PM
Very few players who TB say everything has be TB. But lots of LP'ers believe everything can be done LP. I believe they are wrong. You need to master both. I WISH I could play everything I WANTED to play in TB because of the tone advantages. In fact I can only hit the half-step bends in TB right now. But that doesn't mean there wouldn't still be some passages I would choose to play LP.
No matter what the discipline, to suggest that it is as good to have fewer techniques at ones' disposal is hogwash. ---------- /Greg
Martin, the late Chris Michalek actually had a thread where he did exactly that. He recorded some samples with both embouchures and challenged people to tell them apart.
Of course most people can't swap back and forth as well as he could. I switch back and forth. I think maybe a good thing to practice is that actual moment in between, where you go from one to the other. That throws me off more than using one style or the other. I bend better with a pucker, but I like using tongue blocking for a octave splits and lots of other stuff.
I am primarily a purser because I can handle the overbends better that way, but recently I have added tongue blocking more and more into my playing. I love them both.
I agree with most everything posted here except one thing....tone. IMHO you CAN get just as good a tone with one as the other. NO problem to get a fat, rich, full tone lip pursing if you do it correctly!
@Timeistight: "Conundrum" was my interpretation of some posts after the initial question, but you´re right, that wasn´t in the original post. And "it´s all good" as you say, to each his own. However, there are times when it appears, to me anyway, that the TB guys present this technique as a sine qua non for "good tone". and I simpely disagree --that would be solved the test I proposed. I once heard a lecture buy a blues harpist who stated that you couldn´t really play ANYTHING from Big Walter Horton if you didn´t TB. The fact is that you can play most EVERYTHING of his with LP. An interesting case in point could be his a capella rendition of "Juke", from the field recording from his kitchen in the 60s. It´s remarkable that to no extent, despite the context, does he use TB-specific techniques. In fact, for all I hear he could very well be an exclusive lip blocker, I really don´t know.
@Nacoran: Thank you, I must have missed that by Chris M. Shall certainly try to find it, interesting that it´s alreday been done. Waddyaknow. For octave splits, if you don´t TB I honestly don´t have a clue how you do it ...? Switching is probably ideal. I´m not very good at that TB shuffle many blues harpists like -- but I´m not too wild about it either. I´t close to heresy, I know, but at times I wish blues harpists spent a little more time developing melodic ideas rather than that "deep fat" tone.
?I´t close to heresy, I know, but at times I wish blues harpists spent a little more time developing melodic ideas rather than that "deep fat" tone."
It's called playing notes. But, yeah, you are dealing with a culture where certain players prefer to play an instrument that's out of tune just so chords sound smoother. It's harmonica centric thinking (more important to have chords sound smooth than to actually be in tune with the rest of the band). So, there's understandably a degree of resistance to actual musicality, especially if it involves something other than a I-IV-V chord progression. Go figure....
I think y'all know where I come down on all this. I think that full time LP who play blues are severely limited--although I think that a guy like Todd Parrot can play dazzling LP melodies in a bluesy vein that will make you forget all about why TB was supposed to be important. (Blues from the country end of things doesn't really need TB at all.) But for most blues styles, pure LP is limiting, primarily because you can't do the big octaves (upper register as well as lower) and big not-quite-octaves. The 25 draw, with 3 and 4 TB, is absolutely key to the blues as I understand it. If you LP but have some other way of paying the 25 draw, great. Otherwise you're limiting yourself as a soloist and accompanist. And of course all kinds of textural stuff--incredibly useful and great-sounding textural stuff--can only be done by putting your tongue on the damned harp.
By the same token, I've never agreed with TB fundamentalists (several extremely good players, friends of mine, fall into this camp) who claim that everything worth doing in a blues way on the harp will sound better if TB. I just don't buy it. And I think that certain types of rapid tonguing that Magic Dick and Jason Ricci use are much easier and sound much better when played LP. I also believe that most of the best fast overblowers (Jason, Carlos, and Howard, to name three) play those fast runs LP. Certainly I do.
Ultimately the technique needs to serve the aesthetic vision of the individual player. I can get a strong, thick sound on the 1, 2, and 3 holes (played individually) regardless of whether I'm TB or LP, and regardless of whether I'm playing acoustic or amped up. But who says that "big thick tone" is always best? I mean, I'm all in favor of big and thick. Call me Big Bad Daddy. But as the ladies know, it ain't the meat, it's the motion. I want to burn you like a streak of greased lightning, baby. Greased lightning isn't big and thick, but boy oh BOY does it make your toes tingle. I realize these are just fucking metaphors, but still.
Django Reinhardt played incredible jazz guitar leads with half as many fretting fingers (2) as everybody else. Obviously he didn't limit himself by subscribing to ideas about what was possible. I'd encourage all players to keep their options open. Redefine the possible whenever you can.
@harpdude61 re"I agree with most everything posted here except one thing....tone. IMHO you CAN get just as good a tone with one as the other. NO problem to get a fat, rich, full tone lip pursing if you do it correctly!"
Can you LP a 4 or 5 draw and block all other holes on the front of the harp? with a mic in your hand? If not, then I re-claim you can NOT get fat rich full amplified tone, OR the deepest possible acoustic WAH. ---------- /Greg
hvyi: So, there's understandably a degree of resistance to actual musicality, especially if it involves something other than a I-IV-V chord progression. Go figure....
I want to believe you're kidding. You can't be serious, but even if you are, again, it is entertaining. Adam did spell this out so I will take the easy way and ditto his comments. Except one thing, what does the I-IV-V mean?
Last Edited by on Nov 14, 2011 2:55 AM
Littoral, I am pretty sure that's in this lesson series (here is the first in the series) however, the lesson may assume you've seen all previous videos. Thanks for the kind words before!
@Littoral: Well, I'm sort of kidding and I'm sort of not. In my experience, many harp players are more into harmonica than they are into music. When a musician is more into his or her instrument than the overall sound, the result is usually not optimally musical. Also. in my experience, many harp players seem resistant to learning about musical concepts that are not closely related to stuff that's commonly and easily played on harmonica. Not actually sure why this is so, but I suspect it's because many players have started playing harmonica because they want to play an instrument without actually having to learn music and they get defensive and intimidated when confronted with something that seems difficult and unfamiliar. Btw, I think what i have just described are part of why some musicians seem to have a disrespect for harmonica players in general.
Last Edited by on Nov 14, 2011 5:40 AM
hvyi: First, kudos on not taking the bait on "what does the I-IV-V mean?" I was kidding. Michael, sorry about the I-IV-V comment, it was a fun dig at hvyi. Most importantly, you and I have been having some very serious conversations lately on youtube. Thank you. I am learning. Your careful patience is commendable. Per your admonition, I am currently deriving and memorizing the major scale in all 12 positions. I can play all the notes, well, so that won't be much of an impediment. hvyi: "Btw, I think what i have just described are part of why some musicians seem to have a disrespect for harmonica players in general." Well said. Most are hacks that can get in the right key but that's it. I have worked hard to learn to communicate with players and can usually accomplish whatever I need to. If they play the progression I can hear chromatic and pull it off but if they say "it's a C#" etc. I'm in trouble. If they call a progression like "it goes to the three" I'm also in trouble. I know what they mean but I can't always do it. That is unacceptable. I am solving the problem.
You can play anything TB'd. All it takes is practise. This includes rapid tonguing playing 1/16's or vocalising a note.
@hvyj Not everyone wants to play jazz or pop or whatever. My main love is the blues.I live eat and sleep it. THAT, is why I exclusively TB and only play blues.
You obviously like jazz. Good for you.
Why the continual bashing of blues players ?
I don't see any blues players on here knocking jazz players.Personally I think its great what some of you guys play.
But myself and the majority of harp players are very happy exclusively playing blues.
Regarding harp players only being into the harp sound. I front a band,its my job to look at the overall picture.
I've met many musicians, bass,guitar,drums ,keys who only listen to "their" sound, almost oblivious to what is going on around them.
The better players do listen to everyone and seek to find their place in the song.
FWIW, I'm primarily a blues player. I can get around in other styles, though, and that improves my blues playing. I do not consider myself a jazz player, although there's a very limited repertoire of selected jazz material I am able to handle.
I like MUSIC. The best musicians I've been around can play convincingly in multiple styles. Those are my role models.
Btw, certain jazz players are limited, too. i recall one gig where my blues band used a substitute drummer from the leader's jazz band. The substitute is a really good jazz drummer and is studying for a Masters in Music. Unfortunately, the guy could NOT hold a solid groove for 4-5 minutes. Terrible experience, Blues is an art form with its own idiom. Our regular drummer also has a music degree and is primarily a jazz guy, (In fact, he's a well paid first call jazz player which is why we can't always get him for every gig). But he is also a kick ass blues drummer.
i admire musicians who can play with idiomatic correctness in multiple styles. That's what I try to do within my fairly considerable limitations. I consider playing blues with idiomatic correctness to be an important art form. I don't disrespect blues players. But I do think the blues idiom can be more sophisticated than just playing blues in a very traditional style.
Last Edited by on Nov 14, 2011 8:13 AM
Well, that's not exactly how i look it. I don't sing and i don't lead my own band, but I do have a couple of regular paying blues gigs playing harmonica. I don't know many blues harp players who gig regularly but don't sing. I don't consider myself a great player or anything like that, but I have to assume that I must play blues harp fairly competently or i wouldn't be working.
I do get occasional non-blues gigs but they are not as regular and not as well paying. But I'm just a hobbyist anyway.
On the other hand, if by playing blues "really well" you mean imitating recordings note for note, there's a whole lot of harp players who do that better than I do. But, actually, i have the gigs i have specifically because I DON'T do that. I guess it all depends on who you are working with and what their expectations are. But, in general, I really don't understand how having learned to play certain other styles of music would impair or erode a player's ability to play blues.
Last Edited by on Nov 14, 2011 12:53 PM
Last Edited by on Nov 14, 2011 7:05 AM