Re: [Harp-L] why can't I bend?

[BiscuitBoy714@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 8/11/2007 12:24:03 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
BiscuitBoy714@xxxxxxx writes:and writes again.
 
         Two of the questions  I forgot to ask are what kind of harps are you 
playing, and what  keys are they in? Some keys are easier to bend then 
others, depending  on the person and technique of course.


Never say die my brutha.  I've seen people who eventually got  good at harp 
struggle a long time to get  bends down. I gotta ask you  a couple of 
questions. 
Do you have single notes down  real good. You  have to be able to control all 
of the air coming into, or going  out  of your mouth through that one hole, 
with 
no air escaping around the  sides,  to be able to bend correctly. When you 
can 
do that think of  trying to get a real  think milkshake up through a straw, 
what your  tongue does, and do it without  tightening up your lips on the 
outside  
of the harp. Let your lips be  relaxed and do all of the sucking of  the 
straw 
(so to speak) with your tongue.  When you tighten up your  lips too much 
trying to bend you lose the concentrated  air thing and  it's almost 
impossible to 
bend. 
I don't  know if that is of any help  and I probably was redundant (I 
heard  the milkshake analogy here)  but  maybe if you try that this time,  
and 
add to it anything else that helps you can  pull it off. Maybe  doing that 
and 
tilting the harp a little. Everybody has to  find  their own combination of 
things to play harp anyway.
Stay focused grasshopper..........breathe  in.....breathe  
out........very important breathe.
You'll get it dude, stay  with it.

Randy
BiscuitBoy Blues


In  a message dated 8/11/2007 11:18:18 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,   
aber@xxxxxxxxx writes:


I  think some air is traveling  around my tongue instead of over it. This 
might be  the reason I only  get a baby bend. With the excpetion of a tongue 
transplant,  anybody  have any gems i can try or similar experience that has 
not 
already   been shared? Should I surrender or dig in for the long   battle?

Steve







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