[Harp-L] re:puckering, tongue blocking and speed



*******
"true..
i know guys like sugar and ricci CAN tb,,, but you can't sell me
on the dexterity of tb-ing by default.
..show me a tounge blocker who says he never needs to pucker,,
and i'll show you a boring harp player with no vision whatsoever.

eric"

******

So, first you claim that you can't play fast tb-ing, then several examples (including one of the fastest ever harp players, Sugar Blue who mostly tbs, including the fast stuff) are given and you decide now that wasn't what you were talking about? The original post said pucker was faster, I said it wasn't, you asked for examples, I and others gave them. That's what was being asked. I think the evidence of Sugar Blue, DeFord Bailey and the entire host of extremely fast chromatic players (Blackie Shackner, Sandy Grossman, etc...) who can and do play at extreme speeds using tb pretty much makes the case that it is inherently no slower than pucker. That was the question.

Now, as for someone who only ever uses tongue blocking being boring, well, again, I'd put up a lot of people from the past who may have used tb exclusively (including the lowest holes) as well as a lot of people who mostly use tb and only pucker on the lowest holes and more who are all very interesting: Noah Lewis, the aformentioned Bailey, both Walters, etc...

The technique is relatively unimportant. It's knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the technique that makes the difference. Some people probably prefer to tongue block everything. If they get a good sound and can do what they want with that technique only, it will work musically. If the technique is holding back what they can do, then the music probably won't work.

I don't see this being an either/or thing except for when someone wants to make it such. Most pros tend to use whatever works for the effect, be it tb, pucker or even u-block (if they can). I certainly never said anything against pucker--I just said it wasn't inherently faster. Frankly, I see no reason why people shouldn't learn both tb and pucker and even u-block (if able)--it's not hard to learn any of these and doesn't take much practice time to get comfortable and be able to switch back and forth with ease.

Perhaps you've misread the original tb/pucker thread that started this debate: it was a joke. I could be wrong, but I really think it was done tongue-in-cheek as in, hey, now that there's no-one here we can call people names--with a big smiley attached.

But, that really has nothing to do with what you had asked, which was answered, or with the idea that using one embouchure only makes you a boring player. Stevie Wonder and Toots only ever pucker (from what I can tell) and they aren't boring. Larry Adler, DeFord Bailey and others primarily (perhaps only, depends on who it is) tongue-block and they are far from boring as well. Technique is great, but it says nothing about the musical outcome. Al Dimeola (sp) has some of the best guitar technique in the world. He's also one of the most boring and uninteresting guitarists I've ever heard (which is, of course, IMO, others disagree). Conversely, Willie Nelson barely knows how to play guitar, and he is one of the most intriguing guitarists I've ever heard (admittedly in part because I'm never quite sure whether he's a pure genius or has no clue what he's doing). Technique is a guarantee of nothing.




()() JR "Bulldogge" Ross () () & Snuffy, too:) `----'







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