Stevelegh
383 posts
Feb 07, 2012
9:40 PM
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Hi,
My name is Steve and I'm a tongue blocker. I've had this condition for many years, despite promising myself for almost as many years to break the habit and free myself. I occasionally go on the wagon, put my tongue away and try to brave the world armed with my bare lips. It usually ends badly and I hurt the ears of the people I love. I've managed to limit my partaking of tongue and eventually found a mid point where I poke my tongue in one hole. It's progress, but my tongue usage is still dragging me down and making me slow and sluggish and whilst giving my tone personality, not allowing me to move freely.
I thought I'd share a recent development. A side effect of my condition is that I've also been convinced that a Richter tuned diatonic harmonica only has 6 holes.
I know I've been living a lie, so I decided to concentrate my efforts on using holes 6 - 10. I started off with the blues scale (that 7 overblow is hard), but I found something in the mixolydian scale that has changed my life. hvyj posted up the tab on another thread:
B6 D6 D7 B7 D8 B8 D9 B9.
I've found this scale so easy. It's all but cured my 6 hole delusion. I now venture into what was previously the unknown with a new sense of freedom. I'm still taking baby steps, but where I was once blind, now I see!
The other upshot is that I lip purse up there. I don't know why, but it's like playing a different instrument and tongue blocking doesn't work. And, I'm fast! I know we're talking about the 'Popper' scale, but lip pursing really works up there! I'm still in tongue blocking recovery and catch myself falling off the wagon occasionally, but I'm making progress.
Thanks hvyj and thanks everyone for listening to my story.
Last Edited by on Feb 07, 2012 9:42 PM
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hvyj
2092 posts
Feb 08, 2012
2:06 AM
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When you start playing the WHOLE HARP, it opens up a new and different musical universe!
While you are running around up there on the high end, try playing 10 draw occasionally for emphasis. It is a 9th and sits well over the dominant 7th chord of the key you are in and is the 5th of the V chord. Also, keep in mind that the whole step bend on 10 blow is the flat 3rd of the key you are in. If you can hit that bend smoothly it is a great crescendo note if you don't over do it.
Of course this all assumes you are playing in second position.
Last Edited by on Feb 08, 2012 5:45 AM
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Stevelegh
385 posts
Feb 08, 2012
10:27 AM
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Glad to raise a smile Jeffrey.
@hvyj,
Sorry. I should have said second position.
You've unwittingly transformed by playing by posting that scale. I'm not saying I'm by any means fluent in the upper register, but the mixolydian scale is very safe, the breathing pattern is the most natural I've found and it's breaking my TB habit to boot. I've also found it's given a degree of depth to my lower register TB playing, probably due to puling me out of that range for a while has given me a new lease of life.
This is the whole point of places like this. People share and every once in a while you find something golden which turns your playing around.
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tmf714
973 posts
Feb 08, 2012
2:37 PM
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hvyj
2097 posts
Feb 08, 2012
2:45 PM
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@Stevelegh; I'm delighted that you found the scale tab useful. Playing Mixolydian on the high end makes it easier to be musical. It also will set you apart from the legion of wankers who only play the high end with screeching and badly intonated blow bends.
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Frank
169 posts
Feb 08, 2012
2:46 PM
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I'll drink to that - pour me another glass of milk got-darnit...
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