for beginners: lip pursing vs tongue blocking

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  • čas přidán 18. 01. 2020
  • Beginning blues harmonica players are often confused by an issue that preoccupies more experienced players: the relative advantages and disadvantages of the two main ways of producing notes, lip pursing and tongue blocking. This video quickly describes and demonstrates both techniques, focusing on different--and similar--sounds that they produce on the lower three holes. With Adam Gussow of Modern Blues Harmonica.
    www.modernbluesharmonica.com/...
    Gussow is currently appearing in the Netflix documentary "Satan & Adam," which describes the rise, fall, and late-life resurrection of his Harlem-based blues duo by the same name.
    • SATAN & ADAM. Official...

Komentáře • 46

  • @tnysteph
    @tnysteph Před 4 lety +5

    Thank you Adam for doing this video. It is very helpful.

  • @gussowsclassicbluesharmoni2726

    More thumbs-down than usual for this many views. It's obvious that a few full-time tongue blockers are miffed by the fact that I'm only a part-time tongue blocker. :)

  • @nsane992002
    @nsane992002 Před 4 lety +4

    Great video!!! The first time I heard a player do great tounge blocking, I was blown away and could NOT figure it out. Then, when I learned the opening lick to "Juke", I got the concept then and rolled with it....

  • @edharbas4828

    Thanks for all the tips. My father inspired both my brothers and I when he played the mouth organ. At the time his style was tongue blocking which was known as 'vamping' which was ideal to imitate an accordian type sound.

  • @2doorblues
    @2doorblues Před 4 lety +3

    If anybody’s interested in that little kick Adam starts showing at about

  • @ldnoe
    @ldnoe Před 3 lety

    Just got my Marine Band Harp today, and was watching the the free lessons from Hohner. Was doing ok until I got to the one about tongue blocking. I'm glad I started watching your

  • @TheFlax33
    @TheFlax33 Před rokem

    harmonica players should lip pursing and tongue blocking ..Creates a uniqueness.. Nice helpful video. Thanks

  • @goranpavic5377
    @goranpavic5377 Před 4 lety +1

    I tonque block all but blow bends,somethimes 1st hole,somethimes i tonque switch on 1!i started years ago with lip p and this great man videos so gussow thank you for all this years on youtube still a fan-subscriber!

  • @natevance5832
    @natevance5832 Před 4 lety +1

    Adam. I really enjoyed your old vids about fast playing.

  • @DarkWorldQ8
    @DarkWorldQ8 Před rokem

    I tried harmonica around 10 years and I remember the few tutorials taught that you have to tongue block to get single notes, I couldn't get it right even after a few days of trying, so I gave up on playing harmonica. I went back to it last week after knowing about the lip pursing, now I could get single notes much easier, and that made me gain interest again. I can see why tongue blocking would better in some situations, but maybe it isn't for beginners like me.

  • @kerryc5821
    @kerryc5821 Před 3 lety +1

    Awesome. A hybrid method is the way to go. I play guitar too, and use a pick and fingers.

  • @GrilloTheFlightless

    Personally I mainly lip-purse. I find that I get a louder volume when lip pursing. People talk about tongue-blocking having a better tone, but if you get the harp as deep in your mouth as you can when lip-pursing and form a correct embouchure I find the difference to be negligible. Pursing is also easier to bend on, and easier for doing fast runs. But I had to start learning tongue blocking because of the effects you can achieve (such as vamping and split octaves) that I needed to broaden my playing.

  • @andydunn5673
    @andydunn5673 Před 4 lety

    Nice one Adam

  • @OmniphonProductions
    @OmniphonProductions Před 4 lety

    I love tongue blocking octaves, especially for mimicking Zydeco style accordion movement. It's also great for rhythmically pulsating the full chord between the octaves...or beneath a single steady note. Beyond that, the nature of a wide embouchure is such that, during movement along the harp, the holes adjacent to the "isolated" hole(s) will sneak in, resulting in tiny "ghost notes" that add a great texture...displayed beautifully by Little Walter and other great Chicago Blues players. Unfortunately, being primarily a lip purser, I can't play clean, tongue-blocked, single-note lines for squat, which is why I'm so glad you have figured out...and shared...a way to create those textures via tiny embouchure adjustments. THANK YOU!!!

  • @airmojo
    @airmojo Před 4 lety +11

    You do not have to necessarily use the tip of your tongue and going straight forward to tongue block... I like using the front underside of my tongue to tongue block... there's quite a few harp players that do this... Gary Primich did... John Nemeth does, and I'm sure there are others.

  • @nicolar4970
    @nicolar4970 Před 4 lety

    You are just great!!! I am so sorry that I can't find Satan & Adam on netflix!

  • @codybuffoord3172
    @codybuffoord3172 Před 2 lety

    Years and years of starting to learn to play, and not nothing against the other guys doing videos so I won't mention them, but I always got frustrated not learning a style or approach I actually wanted to play, I didn't care for the special 20 and I prefer sonny terry over Paul Butterfield, few months in (mind you I did still remember most basics and bending techniques) but now I can do some rythms and single note solos using pukcerkng, now Im.getting into tounge blocking, because I just want to learn, but I'm discovering for where I'm at and what I want to play at the moment it's not as dire as I thought

  • @swatkats54
    @swatkats54 Před 4 lety +3

    I don't know what the heck Iam doing wrong I played my old childhood pocket pal ad did something worthy of an audience. I got an expensive suzuki pure harp and a couple reeds. Can't play a thing on it. Or my pocket pal. 🙁

  • @GeoSkywalker
    @GeoSkywalker Před 4 lety

    This video was just in time for me. I’m a beginner and I started my first harmonica single note melodies by lip pursing. I watch all your and Tomlin vids. In fact I didn’t even know there was another technique as well. But 3 days ago I bought a new Hohner harmonica and it came with 1 month free trial lessons from David Barrett so I decided to give it a try and I started watching his beginner videos, he teaches with tongue blocking which at first seemed very strange and difficult for me and it still does. I prefer lip pockering but then I realized there are some melodies which are impossible to play without using tongue blocks. Also I get this feeling that although tongue blocking is more difficult, it has bigger and brighter sound.

  • @WillShattuck
    @WillShattuck Před 2 lety

    Hi Adam. I got a c harp for Christmas this year and I bought your program. Do you teach youth “mysterious” method either on CZcams or in your program? Thanks for all the great videos. Your video on the pucker technique set me up for success when I found a local harmonica teacher.