It's time to start working on some weak points in my game.
I've always had a little trouble with trills, head shakes, whatever you want to call them. I'm trying to add more texture to my sound so I would like some advice on trill technique. I know suggestions will vary,as well as results, that's what I'm looking for.
I am a tongue-blocker exclusively, except on chords, double-stops, etc. (Don't want to start a discussion on TB vs. LP) I usually move the harp, not my head, this seems to be less popular than the head shake.
Thanks for your input.
Last Edited by on Jan 04, 2011 5:51 PM
I don't know if there's any meat to it or not, but I've heard that eye doctors(opthamologists, optometrists, some kinda -ist...I dunno)say that shaking the head to acheive the trill can damage the eyes in some way. I don't know if this pertains to a pre-existing condition or what. I occasionally do this, but usually move the harp instead-I have a bit more control that way. Of course, if you're a rack player, I guess you'd HAVE to shake your head. ----------
I've found I get a more efficient warble if I do both. Get the head and the hands going opposite directions and it takes a minimal movement to get the warble.
@ harpdude, with that method, I must refer you to one of my favorite movies, The Jerk...Remember all the cross-eyed folks who sued Navin over his Opti-Grab? That's gonna be you with all that shakin'. :-D
You'll be easy to find at HCH-The cross-eyed dude from Tennessee... ----------
Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
Last Edited by on Jan 04, 2011 12:49 PM
The most common shake is 4 and 5 draw. it can be moved to other holes. It can also be bent.
I always use the head shake. The well developed technique does not require much movement. If the hands are held properly you get a bouncing effect that helps the movement.
This is not a trill.Trill defintion: (music) the sound made when two notes next to each other in the musical scale are played or sung quickly several times one after the other. (oxford ditionary)
---------- Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind How you doin'
Okay, I actually have a trick for headshake/ toothbrushing! Sometimes it would work really well, and then sometimes my lip would catch and it would sound terrible, but I figured it out!
I mostly play pucker, but this advice should work just fine for TB too. You want to press the harp against your lower lip. We are going to call that the anchor lip. The harmonica is not going to slide along that lip, instead, you are going to smoosh that lip around. You'll get the say sliding effect but there will be no real friction, since relative to your harmonica, the lip isn't moving. All the motion is in the lip!
We'll call the other lip the slip lip. That lip is going to slide back and forth on the harmonica, sort of. The problem with toothbrushing is it's so fast your lip catches. Since we've taken care of the anchor lip, now we need to deal with the slip lip. The trick here is that it's not quite going to touch the harmonica, at least not in the middle. You are going to let a little air slip between the lip and the harp. It will let you move the harp much faster and more accurately, kind of like a air hockey puck or a hovercraft. Your lips won't get busted up and you will have better control, since you won't catch on your lip. As for shaking your head or your harp, do whichever one is comfortable.
In a few seconds it turned that from a big weakness of mine into a strength in my playing.
I wish I could do what Madcat does here in the first few seconds of this song. I think it's a warble between 3 and 5 draw, and is done by sliding the tongue back and forth? Correct me if I am wrong. Jay Gaunt does this pretty well also. I'm not sure if everyone can do this as fast. Kinda like some people can't curl their tongue, while others can. Once again, correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway... I love the sound of this technique.
I've done the headshake, as opposed to the harpshake, for 15 years and haven't noticed any side-effects. To me the headshake comes more natural but I've heard just the opposite from others. I have noticed since gaining weight over the holidays that I can feel my jowls flopping when I do the headshake. Makes me feel like an old bulldog! ---------- Ozark Rich __________ ##########
Indeed I love that too Todd. I do a sloppy version of this without that precision and by extension: the lucidity. Ronnie Shellist does a shake/warble that sounds unique as well that i'd like to emulate. Anyway I'm never been an academic player but some of the terminology is revealing: Diggs - If you could indulge me: On my linked myspace site below there is a music player- the 2nd song in the player (Who's Been Talking): Is that a "trill" I am doing at 1:30. I appreciate the indulgence. d ---------- myspacefacebook
@toddl...One of my favorite movies is the Jerk. I think I've mentioned before that Sonny and Brownie are jammin on the porch at the start and end of the movie.
Toddl again..got me to thinking.....Optigrab..hmmmm Lots of combo players complain about harp racks being uncomfortable....well.....why not make a piece of heavy wire that welds to the center of the top coverplate of the harp, makes a big curl, splits, and then clamps down on the nose. That would be awesome.
I could play while bathing the dog, digging potatos, and it would keep both hands on the wheel while driving...How about Nasalgrab?
Thanks 7limit...combining the two with good technique and embochure, you can barely tell anything is moving looking in a mirror.
Toddp..Madcat is as bad as they come. awesome lick!
If you're holding a mic cupped in both hands it is very difficult to do a trill with harp movement. I move my head. Although much of my brain function seems to be slipping away, sight isn't an issue. Acoustically is another story - there hand movement is fine if it works for you.
I headshake 3-4, 4-5 and above in tongue block position - still shake the head and let the tongue slide. There are many ways to skin a cat. ---------- /Greg
It seems like my biggest problem was that I was trying to go too fast, not letting each of the two individual notes sound cleanly.
I slowed it down, way down, and started to get the right effect for the first time. I am now gradually adding speed, but not to the point of losing precision.
I use my wrists when I warble - but I play mostly acoustically. I TB most of the time too (I tend to switch back and fourth depending on what I am doing) and find if you are going to anchor with TB, your top lip might be a better choice. I usually drive the warble with my right hand and provide tension on the side with my left. I leave them pretty loose and can easily vary the intensity from a wobble-wobble to a fast drilling warble. If you are going to keep as tight of a cup as Greg does, It would probably be better to head shake.
I think what Madcat is doing is what I called a "Tongue Sweep" in my earlier post in this thread. It's a very classic effect. I guess it's possible that not everyone can do that side to side sweep just like tongue curling.
Honestly, though, I've been working on it for a few months and I've come a long way from not being able to do it at all to maybe getting 1/2 to 3/4 speed that Madcat is doing. I think you're right that it's a sweep between the 3 and 5. Somedays though, my tongue just doesn't cooperate when I try and hit the sweep.
I also recall MichaelAndrewLo had a few videos where he documents his progress with tongue sweeping. Can't find it now for the life of me...
