Re: tips for bending with tongue blocking?


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Posted by Ron on January 22, 2001 at 09:51:38:

In Reply to: tips for bending with tongue blocking? posted by tm3 on January 20, 2001 at 13:22:22:

I have been playing for almost a year and when I started, I found TB easier than puckering so that is what I learned. I am learning to single note with puckering now but I am not that good at it. With TB I can now do all of the bends pretty well and this is what I have found.

Try to inhale from WAY down deep and pull the note cleanly through the harp and then bend the aristream cleanly down your throat, through your lungs, and into your belly. It helps me if I think about making a pocket in my tounge to catch and redirect air on its way down to my lungs. Small tounge movements will help to control the bend. I find that the Bb harp is easiest to bend and control.

I think that it just takes a little while to learn what tiny movements are necessary and then it takes a little while more to develop the tiny muscles that control the bend. Once you get one note to bend, practice holding that bend for as long as you can during the inhale. I found I really took off when I started doing this. Also, don't practice bending too long at any one time. Your muscles will tire and will not be effective. You will then get frustrated. I found 20 minutes at a time to be plenty.

Once you get one note to bend well, start messing with others. Some bends are easier to hit than others and different keys defininately offer different challenges. Good luck!




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