Mo_Joe
10 posts
Feb 24, 2011
8:17 AM
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I've recently started to TB and it's extremely fun and contagious..I was just wondering if any of you guys do blow bends tongue blocked and what kind of an approach do you use?
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mr_so&so
407 posts
Feb 25, 2011
7:03 AM
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Well Mo_Joe, looks like not too many TB blow benders here. But I do. I can't give you much advice about it, except to say start with 8 and start with low harps, like low F or G. The eight should come pretty easily. I had a heck of a time getting 10, but kept at it and eventually got there. Also try not to bust a gut blowing too hard, or at least once you get the bend, start trying to do it with more relaxation and less breath force. Good luck with it.
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cloud1i
27 posts
Feb 25, 2011
9:11 AM
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Mo Joe, doing blow bends with TB, you need to arch the front your tongue by pushing the front against the comb a little. The 10hole half bend is the cloest to the comb, then the 10 full bend, then the 9 and so on. I find you can have total control of the half bend with TB and it seems easier then using pucker. Its the same with doing the OBs, just try it out. Hope my 2cents help
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Mo_Joe
11 posts
Feb 25, 2011
9:35 AM
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Thanks guys...cloud1i, I'll try it and keep trying :)
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mr_so&so
409 posts
Feb 25, 2011
9:56 AM
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Now that I read cloud1i's description, I recall that was my experience too --- pushing the tongue against the comb was what got me there. But now that I've been doing it a while, I believe that I'm doing more with my throat than my tongue. But the important thing is to do what you need to do to get the bend first, then fine tune your technique from there until you get the tone and control you like.
cloudli has another good point that once you can TB blow bend, you should also be able to TB overblow, at least that is the starting point.
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Last Edited by on Feb 25, 2011 10:00 AM
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Michael Rubin
94 posts
Feb 25, 2011
10:11 AM
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Gruenling told me he has a two hole mouth opening, blocking one hole to the left. This made it much easier for me, but I still default to U blocking and puckering for the high notes.
Michael Rubin
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harpwrench
446 posts
Feb 25, 2011
10:36 AM
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I was surprised when I viewed Dave Barrett's interviews of some of my TB heroes.....IIRC all of them- including Dennis Gruenling- said they switch to pucker some blow bends, and several also do on the 2-3 draws. It took me about a year to move from pucker to TB on the upper register 100%, because I was told all the greats TB'd everything. I don't regret it for a second, but just keep in mind that you're in good company if you decide there's better things to work on than TB blowbends. Whatever works for you and sounds good is the right way to do it. When I blow bend, the tongue might get arched up, the jaw may close some, the throat might constrict, or any combination of these to shape tone.
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tmf714
507 posts
Feb 25, 2011
12:31 PM
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From Dennis' "Bad Ass Harmonica" website-
Without getting too far into the Tongue-Blocking Vs. Lip-Blocking debate, I will just say that I am primarily a TB player (almost 100% of the time) and I know Jason Ricci to be primarily a Lip-Purser who also throws in some TB’ing for certain effects and techniques.
I use TB’ing for blow bends and overblows as well, which I started using back in the 90?s and used on my first album with my band Jump Time…I wasn’t that good at it back then, but could do it. I don’t use many overdraws personally, but when I set up my harps to do so, I can usually get them tongue-blocked as well. In addition, I also get draw bends on my Low tuned harps tongue-blocked. Not many people ask about them, but the real high AND the real low bends are difficult with any embouchure, just for different reasons physically.
Last Edited by on Feb 25, 2011 12:34 PM
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harpwrench
448 posts
Feb 25, 2011
2:36 PM
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From David Barrett's "Bluesharmonica.com" website-
From Dave's interview with Dennis, tongue-blocking segment:
"On the high end, I usually won't tongue block hole ten. There are some instances where I would, but not if I'm going to bend it. It's fairly difficult to tongue block and control the bent note on hole 10.... and I don't really know anybody that does it well."
"Once in awhile on nine I'll pucker, but I'm usually tongue-blocking nine to bend it."
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