Tom585
75 posts
Sep 17, 2018
9:27 PM
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I was teaching my harmonica and the blues class today and was talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the harp. I said a strength is we can play chords as well as single notes. A weakness is that we can't play all chords because we can't play blow and draw notes at the same time. Then I demonstrated when we can get both blow and draw notes - blocking the air from escaping the back of the harmonica and blowing the low notes produces low blow notes and high draw notes.
A student raised his hand and said we can get blow and draw notes at the same time by putting about half of the harmonica in the mouth (like Sonny Boy Williamson in Bye Bye Bird) and blowing. Blowing into the harp this way activates both blow and draw reeds. It isn't musical, more of a parlor trick. I tried it and it worked.
Has anyone ever heard of this before? For someone with little harmonica experience, my student may have discovered something historic.
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nacoran
9959 posts
Sep 17, 2018
10:31 PM
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I've done it blocking the back, but never done it by shoving the whole harp in my mouth.
The weirdest harmonica technique I've ever tried is using toothpicks on the reeds like a guitar player would use fingers on a fret board. You can get some really interesting sound out of it, but there seems to be a pretty steep learning curve (maybe a string player might pick it up more quickly). I think if someone really devoted some time to it they could make it something special.
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Nate
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Gareth
24 posts
Sep 17, 2018
11:14 PM
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I suppose a player could use two harps in the same key at the same time and more than one orifice. There are dangers with this on the blow notes, however!
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Harpeaux Edwards
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Tom585
76 posts
Sep 18, 2018
7:42 PM
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The technique I described above involves blowing through both the front and the back of the harmonica at the same time. I can't imagine it being of any use except to say you can get blow and draw notes at the same time.
I just found it interesting that I had never heard of it and a new player thought of it. It actually seems kind of obvious now.
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nacoran
9962 posts
Sep 19, 2018
12:20 AM
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We just need to come up with a special tuning to take advantage of it!
The only time I've tried the 'stick the harp in your mouth trick' I was trying to tongue block/cheek block to get single notes. I tried it based on your description and it certainly works. I've seen harps played backwards with fingers to block the holes, and Gareth, there is a guy, I think in Japan, who plays the harmonica through his nose while he chews a banana!
There is also a pretty funny video (I've linked it before, so I won't link it again) where a talk show made a set of dentures with a built in harmonica. They had a guy come up and play it. Normal blow/draw playing though.
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Nate
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