[Harp-L] Re: RE: a question for all you toungue blockers out there...

[Ludo Beckers <ludobeckers@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm four digests behind on replies, but things were hectic around here, because my daughter gave birth to a beautiful grandson on April 6th :-) 

Congrats with your "Big Walter Boy" BTW Mark Nesmith! 

Back to topic "overblows with tongue block", Froggy wrote:
< some people able to do it:Allen Holmes, <

I'm expecting his cd in the mail anyday now, so I'm extra curious.

and: <Btw: James Conway is able to overbend while tongueblock and tongue block either on the left or on the right.<

and Dennis Gruenling, replying offlist, wrote:

<I don't take advantage of tongue-switching all that much, though I
should. And I have TB overblows out of the left side of the tongue, but I rarely use that technique, if at all, when I play<

So apparently there are indeed more people doing this, which really surprises me. I've always been TB-ing, tongue switching  and puckering as a mixed embouchure, but for ob's solely employ puckering. Those guys are giving me new homework ;-)

Froggy continues:
<Fred Yonet is able to play a chord and to overbend the
note he wants to at the same time!!!<

Stop, you're driving me crazy! ;-)

Froggy: <I am able to bend some note while keeping other note
playd unbent!<

That I can do too. Very nice effect on for instance 5 draw and 2 draw whole bend, but unfortunately it doesn't help me finding the TB OB. 

Froggy: < plenty of things that can be done on the
harmonica and it is not because Howard does not fully
master it yet that it is impossible to be done by
another harp player...<

True. I can raise OB hole 1 up to at least an F# (C harp), which Howard nor Allen, when I mentioned it to them, thought possible. :-)

Ben Planetharmonica wrote:
<I'd love you to point me out musical examples of the techniques you describe in the records of Fred or Allen ? 

That would be very interesting, yes. If you find time for this, Foggy?

Jason-L ;-) wrote:
<Dennis Gruenling tounge blocks everything! overblows and overdraws and pretty fast too and on all those wicked low harps!!<

IMHO Jason and Dennis are two of the best modern blues players on the planet. I've strayed away from blues the last couple of years, but these guys revived my interest. Thanks guys! (Jason, did you get my offlist post BTW?)


WVa Bob wrote:<I know Howard can do most anything on the diatonic, but I always assumed his predominant embrochure was pucker?

It is. Dennis also mentions this in his post:

<the Harmonica Summit years ago with Levy, and he
challenged anyone to TB overblows fluently, and at the time, I hadn't
gotten too comfortable with it. But I was close, and I wish I had
attempted it at least in front of him then.<

Bill Hines wrote: 
<Hopefully the discussion doesn't dissolve into embochure-wars, let's all get along :^) 


So far we are :-)

Robert Paparozzi responded: 
< TB, U-Block and Pucker are all terrific ways to produce a note<

Now that U-thing is something I'll never even try - different strokes indeed. 

Rob: <learn some, steal some and find a "comfy compromise".....after all, that's what makes a player unique and gives him/her their OWN sound.<

I wanna "steal" the TB OB, but can't find the key to the locker so far ;-)  

Chris Michalek jumped in: 
<Yes, Howard is primarily a pucker player and there are many things he can not do. If you ever meet him and want to make him angry start doing some tongue blocking effects like low register octaves scales.

Last time I met him he WAS able to do that, so we'll have to find new tricks for messing with him ;-)

Chris: <Try OBing 6 and blow bending 8 at the same time. <

Tried and failed. 

On to the next digest to reply,

Ludo 





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