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From: John Wherry
Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 16:50:16 -0400
Subject: Beginning Tongue Blocking Stuff

Hello harp-ers,

These questions are probably beneath most folks but I'm hoping someone
may have been there before. In trying to learn tongue blocking (TB) for
blues sounds:

I've noticed my cheeks puff out (ala Dizzy) on every blow note whereas
when I pucker this never happens. Is this typical? It seems somehow
'not efficient'.

In general, draw blocks are harder than blow blocks for getting a clean
single note. Should this eventually even out?

Maybe one day I'll be be able to do simple draw bends while TBing, but I
have no idea how that will happen. Right now TB bends seem out of the
question. My tounge must be doing something when I pucker and bend.
Is this the toughest part of the TB thing?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice,
John

Background - I've been horsing around with 10 hole harps for years but
only recently in any deliberate manner. Thanks to this list and some
other books/CDs, I've come to the conclusion I must know TBing for a
realblues sound. I'm currently trying the Jerry Portnoy masterclass (CD
1, track 6, and I think I'll be there a while). Previously I've been
just listening, puckering, and bending enough to impress most folks
except of course my family. I wouldn't know an overblow or overdraw if
it hit me. My favorite harp recordings until recently are by Paul
Butterfield and Sonny Terry, both of whom (I'm told) were puckerers.
Sonny Terry is amazing and I'm sure I'll never get close. And now I
have these Walter CDs in both Little and Big models.....