Blow bending has never been my thing. I always had more important lessons to learn on the lower octaves and the amount of noisy unmusical squeaking involved with learning to blow bend was really irritating. I did enough to be able to do it, but not enough to be able to play up there with confidence. It's been a hole in my game too long. Recently I decided to do something about it. I want to be able to tongue-block blow-bend, so I'm doing that...practicing on an A harp mainly. I've messed around with Adam's "tequila" lesson, working on the 10", and Jim Conway's "cocaine habit" lesson, for the 9'. It was all pretty slow and my 10 blow is still hit and miss with the tongue on the comb. Pursed its no problem, but I'm resisting that because I know I'll never get it tongue blocked if I practice lipping it. Anyway, despite my darling's assertion it's all cool for me to spend half an hour making random squawks every night, I decided I need a song. Not tequila, not cocaine habit...something familiar, with more integrated melodic blow bending... I've also avoided listening and learning from Jimmy Reed, but I think he is the man to study, for a beginner. So "bright lights, big city" it is. Just began last night. Lots of 8', a 9' or two, and a bent 10 as well I think (I haven't got that far yet). But already I can tell this was a very good idea, for my playing. The harp solo on Jimmy Reed's famous record is basically following the vocal melody so its pretty easy to internalise, its straight harp in A which is a friendly harp to learn this technique. And it's a cool song to have in the bag (not that those others aren't, but its a shuffle in A which is pretty easy to call.) Years ago I read some advice here, to a beginner, to get some jimmy reed records and study them, play along, that there is not better training to be had. I found it really hard to like jimmy reed, so that prospect was not appealing...but now here I am, in the church of jimmy reed, head bowed and repentant, learning my lessons
I'd listen to Kim Wilson.I don't know what just now because what I recall was live, but exceptional. When I do it it's mostly as a solo over a slow blues and I really like to bring the band down & play without a mic.
Yeah I have heard something outrageous from Kim, in fact I think I downloaded it. I just wanted a song so I could feel better about the practice. Still struggling with the 10 whole step, tongue blocked. Better now I aligned my draw reed though...it was just catching in the corner...oh well, the team has suffered enough for tonight.
Great 1st position blow bends at the 5:00 minute mark of this video. It is lipped blocked. Not sure why you would be determined to learn it TBed if you play it well lip blocked. If there are advantages I would love to learn about them.
I too have been working off and on on being able to do those blow bends while tongue blocking. The main advantage is that it'd be easier to work in those percussive chord slaps that sound so great on the high end of the harp, and also to quickly go from a bent single note to an octave. Someday I'll get there.
Well yeah, that's the thing, if you can stay in TB embouchure, that stuff can happen. I mainly just wanna develop my fluency on the top octave and figure I may as well get it down this way from the off. Well, now is what I mean. And put in a solid block of work on it. It's all progressive you know. Learn a simple song so I'll start using the technique daily, and then work a more complex piece when the initial challenge of just hitting the notes is less problematic etc ----------
What it comes down to for getting the blow note bends, regardless of embouchure, is avoid using tons of breath force trying to force it to happen, which is the single, most common mistake EVERY player makes when learning this stuff. Another thing is to make very subtle adjustments to your embouchure and inside shape of your mouth (most players in the very beginning tend to over exagerate and often times become their own worst enemy in the process).
I learned how to do it both with the pucker as well as TB. The higher up beyond an A or C harp you go, the tougher it becomes to play, and with the exception of some of the newer harps using much tighter reed slot tolerances than in years past, like the Seydel 1847 or any of the newest stock of Hohners, it's easier to do on higher pitched harps from a customizer like the Filisko guild or Joe Spiers. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I hear ya on the breath force issue! I got the 8' pretty easy now, and the 9' easy too, when I get in the groove. Sometimes I still have to stop and think about it for a moment, and consciously stop trying to blow it into submission with force. The 10" is more problematic. I mean less consistent. And yeah, it's tempting to tense up when it doesn't happen straight off. Tried it all on the C last night. The A was much easier when I went back. I figure consistent practice is very important. I'll drive everyone here mad with this. It's like learning to play a different instrument (kinda) ----------
You got me going, SuperBee. I haven't really done much on this end because of my wife's tinnitus. She dislikes the high notes anyway, no matter how well they are played (i.e. by pros). But I will do some discreet practice when I can. Speaking of Jim Conway, his solo on Kind Hearted Woman is a great one for the 1st position stuff. He said it used to have women crying. Damned tricky though...
One thing about doing it tongue blocked I think is that the movements are very small. It just doesn't really happen if you move too much... The 9 blow on my A (thats an E played unbent) will go almost all the way down to a D...only about 15-20 cents sharp. I can't blow the 8 that flat. I heard jimmy reed used to substitute the blow bend for the draw note, but I don't recall if it was the 8 or the 9 chamber. If it was the 9 I can see it. 9 draw is tuned a little flattish so I guess that's why I can bend the blow so far. Don't suppose it would work do well on an ET harp. BronzeWhaler, I shall have to seek that track out. Jim is pretty strong on the 1st position stuff generally. I've been playing the 'sitting on a million' album in the ute, for the last couple weeks. It's real strong work...from back around '89 I think. Love how they made that drum guitar harp trio work. ----------
SuperBee, that's why I said the higher up in pitch of any key harp is, the more difficult it will be to get those blow bends, but it can be done, but it will take HARD WORK to get it. On harps higher than the key of C, you will need to have a harp with tighter reed slot tolerances or better yet, a custom from one of the best customizers, but even without a custom, it can be done if you're willing to work at it hard and don;t try to force it.
Regardless of which embouchure you use, the adjustments are always small and subtle and the minute you do it in even the slightest more exaggerated way, which is the way most players tend to do everything, you only make things harder for yourself. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
