So I would say that one way to identify Big Walters playing style is that thick chug he often put on mostly his draw chords. Most often he did it on his 2 whole draws. More specifically, it seems he is tongue slapping the face of a comb, drawing a quick chors, then instantaneously hits a strong single hole draw. I have tried to mimic the sound by drawing on say a 123 hole chord, then quickly tightening up to a single hole 2 draw. I know that the technique is all tounge blocking, but the actual timing and tounge placement has perplexed me. If anyone knows what Im talking about and knows more about it please help me out. An example of the "chug" can be heard in this song: christine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8cv_XF8oL4 (good example at 12 seconds) ...as well as most of his songs. Maybe Im over analyzing it, maybe not. Either way let me know! Andrew
Hope this helps, this works variously all over the harp and I seem to read some confusing directions for it. It is a tongue block that, for example, plays the 3 blow after a split second of the 1 chord before isolating the 3 hole. I punch 1-2-3 just as I block 1-2 and the perception is a single note. A big note. It's just a piece of the chord before the note. ...ok, maybe another confusing explanation. I should video it and I'll try soon.
It is a tongue slap in combination with a consonant click. Like a K followed by the slap, then a pull-off K-slap (on and on). When you are in a deep TB, K's are your pronunciation of choice (like T's in lip pursing).
This can be done (and is done by BW) walking up the harp in boogie-woogie lines, etc. K-slap, K-slap, K-slap, etc.
There is usually a pull-off with the making of the consonant sound. You can make the sound blowing too - it is just blowing instead of drawing.
Christine is one of my favorite songs to play. (although I play a different version).
I am fairly new to TB, but I can make those sounds. I'm sure there may be a more seasoned TBer that could explain it better...
edit: I listened to the exact spot you were listening to (12 sec). I believe it is just a quick pull off with a "quack." You could approximate the sound with a "kiss pop" Try making a quick kiss on the 2 draw like you are making a tennis ball sound (sorry best way I could describe it) IT should resonate with the same popping quack (you'll have to work with it of course).
Last Edited by on Jan 15, 2011 8:57 PM
I took a phone lesson on tongue blocking from Deak which covered his beginner's boogie riff (posted above by Ant) and train chugging techniques. He's a great coach, I was amazed at how much I learned in just a 45 minute phone session.
If you want to get jump started on TB call him up for a lesson, or buy one of his wonderful custom harps and get a lesson free, as I did.
It also helps if you use what he used, which was Marine Bands that were tuned to 7LJI, or any diatonic tuned that way. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
It also helps if you use what he used, which was Marine Bands that were tuned to 7LJI, or any diatonic tuned that way. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
The only stock harps that are tuned this way are the Hering 1923 Vintage Harp and the just tuned version of the Suzuki Fabulous and that's pretty much it. Hohner stopped tuning the JI of any kind in 1992. When I started back in the 70's, 95% of all the diatonics available were all tuned to 7LJI, but since many players now are doing things that were once the exclusive domain of chromatic players and playing more positions and hardly any chords or double stops, it's now 80% ET tuning, 15% comprimise, and 5% JI tuning these days. Of all the comprimise tunings, the closest to playing JI of any kind is what Seydel uses, and their's is essentially 19LJI and what seperates the ir comprimise from 19LJI is where 5 & 9 draw is tuned. 5 & 9 draw is tuned 1.5 cents sharp in 19LJI, their comprimise tuning has those two notes tuned 2 cents flat. If you want to convert to 19LJI, the retune those two 3.5 cents sharp, or to 7LJI, retune those 27 cents flat. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
