In the videos below for example is Adam hitting the tongue on the roof of his mouth as he's phrasing all the time or just some of the time? If you don't tongue notes it gives a different sound and when you do pronounce the note with the tongue it seems to allow you to articulate things with more separation.
Only Adam could say really. But just taking the bit where he slows down the first bit of the phrase (3m 16s) I tried to mimic that and it didn't particularly need tongue articulation, except maybe the repeated note on the 1D. Because he's putting in little grace notes by sliding from hole to hole, that serves to separate the notes.
In general terms, Adam adds all kinds of complexity to the sound of otherwise simple phrases, and it's good to understand that's what a lot of his videos are about. Like the 'little tricky move' at 3m39s where he adds a bit of chord. And he says he uses a 'ta' (i.e. tonguing) for that.
But yes, strongly articulated notes can be great. Have a listen to Little Sonny The Creeper Returns. Check around the 1m mark...Well I think that's a lovely example of tongued notes. But someone will probably tell me it's all tongue blocked! :)
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Sep 29, 2015 12:15 AM
Great video MindTheGap. Some ace playing there. Yeah when someone shows a video, where they're teaching a lick or piece, i never know whether to articulate with the tongue if they don't mention it.
Yes I know what you mean. It's hard to tell just by the sound. In lessons I'd stop and ask.
Relatively recently I found out there were some variants people use, you might be interested in. Yes the standard hard 'ta', but also a softer 'th' that gives a shorter gap between the notes. And then 'thwee' and 'thwaa' that give a percussive little dip on the start of say the 4D. Once I'd found them, I'd hear them all over the place.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Sep 29, 2015 10:47 PM
Thanks MTG. Yeah i'll experiment with those. The boogie blues lick i posted Adam doing; i find that hard to do. I mean yes i can play it but getting the feel and flow Adam gets is very tough. Then again he's a master so i don't feel so bad when i think like that! It's when i get up to 5B and then have to come down to the 2D. It seems Adam gets definition and articulation whereas with me the notes seem to run into one another too much.
Some times i do kind of nail it but most times it's not what i want. Practice is the only thing to say i suppose.
Yes great isn't it. I've not come across a backing track for it myself.
Gary62 - yes you said it. But take heart. The thing is even an apparently simple phrase like that is packed with bits of technique that make it sound that way. The initial triplet 4' 4 5, the hard bend on the 4'. The legato run 4' 3' 2 with the right amount of bend on each note and none on the 2. The little rhythmic chord around the 2 - that's a AG trademark thing. The rough double stops on the 2nd bit of the phrase, with a bend on the 34 chord.
You have to get each bit.
Even within that there are little choices. I slowed it right down and I detect a sharp, little pull down on the 4'. That suggests a tongue articulation to me (but it doesn't have to be), and you can make that more or less subtle - like in the Little Sonny track it's really strong.
BTW don't forget he's playing on a D harp which, as we keep going on about, sounds and feels very different to your C harp! It really does. And IMO much more so than differences between different makes/models of the same key. You'll have to buy one to find out!!!
You mentioned 5B, was that a typo?
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Sep 30, 2015 11:33 PM
MTG: That was a typo!! it should have been 5D of course. Sorry for the mistake. Well spotted! Someone could easily have glossed over that and not seen it!
Yes Adam's playing is so good. He's my number 1 right now and i love his videos. I try to learn something every day even if it's only a few notes!
