Harp Study
141 posts
Sep 25, 2015
7:50 PM
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For sometime my blow bends have basically went from the unbent note to the bent note with little to no transition. Due to this fact, I have a terrible time getting the 10 blow middle bend.
Anyone else have this trouble? I'm wondering if there are any exercises that help to develop the control needed on these blow bends? I've been trying slide up & slide down type exercises that David Barrett has shown for bending in some of his books. I might be improving slightly, but it sure seems like slow progress on this for me.
Just curious
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STME58
1470 posts
Sep 25, 2015
8:03 PM
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From my experience and what my instructors have told me, 10 blow bend is one of the mos difficult to master. It seems to snap down to nearly a hole step easily but getting the half step is difficult. It reminds me of trying to balance on a slack chain, very similar to trying to hit overblows in tune.
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SuperBee
2837 posts
Sep 26, 2015
3:52 AM
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Just curious how long you have been working on the blow bends.
I'm really loving playing the blow bends but it has taken quite a while and the 10 is still up for improvement. The 8 and 9 though...I love them.
The thing that made difference for me was just having some songs. I had cocaine blues, tequila for a long time and wasn't getting much progress but then I started playing bright lights big city, and the 8 really came on line. Then I got into honest I do and the 9 got it together, while the 8 became second nature. I picked up boogie on reggae woman and both those became fluent, and my cocaine blues much better. So now the 10 is becoming reliable also I am looking for a song to really limber it up. That's pretty much the journey for me...after years of not much cooking on the high end, now thanks to jimmy reed and a little stevie wonder it is limbering up and really I think the most fun I ever had playing harmonica...so much that I decided I really better get with 1st position blues on the low end...and learnt Dave Barrett's 'the tub'..now that is a very satisfying workout for your low octave bends...on a G harp...
Last Edited by SuperBee on Sep 26, 2015 3:53 AM
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chromaticblues
1712 posts
Sep 26, 2015
5:44 AM
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Try mastering it on the "G" and "A" harp first. Then go to the Bb and C. Not harps are created equal either. One G harp might not do it worth beans and another might do it like butter! If you have a stock harp that you can play the 10 bends perfect on you got lucky that day. Go buy a lottery ticket!
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barbequebob
3033 posts
Sep 26, 2015
8:08 AM
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You also have the same classic problem many self taught players have in common with that hole or any bends regardless if it's a draw or blow bend and that is you're playing it with too much breath force and are trying to use even greater force to force the bend to happen and any time you do that, you lose TOTAL control over EVERYTHING you're doing. What needs to be done is to do VERY slight adjustments to your embouchure and inside shape of your mouth to do it rather than increase the breath force. It's much the same way if you're trying to bend a note on a chromatic harp and on those, if you use too much force, the note will blank out entirely.
Lower pitched harps are going to be easier and there's more room for a margin of error and each harp pitched higher, it will be increasingly more difficult and then you have to learn to make those very subtle adjustments and past the key of C, that's when it REALLY gets more difficult, especially since all harps pitched Db and higher as a whole use short slot reeds.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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mlefree
422 posts
Sep 26, 2015
8:47 AM
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David Barrett recorded an excellent interview with Winslow on this very subject. You might find it helpful.
Blow Bending Lesson on the Harmonica according to Perfessor Yerxa
Good luck and keep at it!
Michelle
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SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Last Edited by mlefree on Sep 26, 2015 8:47 AM
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Palmetto
11 posts
Sep 26, 2015
1:38 PM
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Any blues songs or riffs that you guys can recommend for practicing the blow bends? SuperBee mentioned some - are these all in 1st position?
I'm a low-intermediate level player, so I figure my time is best spent learning the basic 2nd position techniques and riffs. I have practiced the blow bends and can control all but the 10 half step fairly well. However, my practice is mainly just the 1st position blues scale and a few simple riffs I transposed. I think if I knew some songs up there it would be more beneficial.
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Harp Study
142 posts
Sep 26, 2015
2:55 PM
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Some great advice here. I think the video of Winslow explaining how the space for the sweat spot is smaller on the higher notes and how he compares it to guitar frets makes a lot of sense. I think that is exactly what I struggle with.
@ Superbee: I've been playing about 3 years and been able to do all the blow bends with exception of the 10 half step for most of that time, but I think you are absolutely right about me needing to learn some songs that use the blow bends. I rarely use those bends in my playing at this time.
@barbequebob: I don't think playing to hard is causing my issue here, but I do understand exactly what your saying. My harps last forever which leads me to believe I don't blow that hard or I would have more harps go bad. I've got harps that I've played nearly every day since I started playing that still work. The only harps I've lost are 2 that I learnt how to bend note on at the very beginning. However, I am also sure that most everyone THINKS they play softly. Is there a good way to tell if your using too much air? I often try to play as quietly as I can which is what has really helped me to use less air.
@mlefree: thanks for posting that video. Winslow's comparison to a guitar really make a lot of sense to me in my mind.
I think I need to learn some songs and just keep working at them to get better.
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slaphappy
127 posts
Sep 26, 2015
2:55 PM
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Harp Study,
just a quick tip, you might want to start the bend with your tongue a little farther forward then you are now. Go as far forward as you can with the note still being unbent and make that your default start point for the bend. I'm pretty sure this is the same advice Mr Barrett gave me IIRC..
also what BBQ said.
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4' 4+ 3' 2~~~
-Mike Ziemba
Harmonica is Life!
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mlefree
432 posts
Sep 27, 2015
10:00 AM
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Something else to try on those high blow bends if you haven't already -- U-blocking.
For the most part I find UB a bit clumsy and limiting. I mostly prefer straight Tongue-blocking on the first 7 holes, but will switch to Lip-pursing if I need to be really accurate with particular bends. But I find TB high draw bends a big hurdle so I prefer the control afforded to me on the high end with LP or... UB. For some reason I find that it's sometimes easier for me to exert the very "fine-tuning" kind of adjustments needed for good control over those pesky high bends by UB'ing. Mostly on higher key harps it's easier for me to make those adjustments with slight variations in the "fold" in my tongue than it is by pressing my tongue against my teeth with a Lip-purse embouchure.
UB is a bit of an odd-duck in terms of harmonica embouchures but I find, like the others, that learning it has its dividends even if you only rarely (or even never) use it. Another arrow in the quiver so to speak. Plus, using it makes for ~great~ calisthenics for your tongue. As harmonica players we cannot have too much control over that most amazing muscle.
FWIW, Michael Rubin is also an advocate of UB'ing high blow bends.
Something to consider.
Michelle
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SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Last Edited by mlefree on Sep 27, 2015 10:04 AM
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