I’m new to the harmonica but feeling inspired by Luke’s methods. One of the best Youtube teachers I have seen, across many different instruments.
I hope this might help someone like me, who was really struggling with bends.
I found that it matters a lot what I’ve been drinking before playing. Bends seem to come easier if I drink something bitter or astringent before practicing. I have also found if I start struggling it helps to stand if I have been sitting and vice versa.
What really helped was masking the holes each side of the hole I am trying to bend. I found that I could isolate single notes fairly well but when I tried to bend I was letting air sneak in through the wrong holes. I just used normal scotch tape.
Now I have the muscle memory of doing a bend, even though I’m still working on intonation, isolating the note better and about a million other things!
Try placing the harp deep into your mouth and dropping you jaw a bit. It makes the opening smaller and I/M/O much easier to play clean, rich single notes. This has been the primary thing I practice since starting 2 1/2 years ago.
Initially the I placed harp was too far forward, which was a fault that had to be broken ASAP. Air leaking through and week notes.
As for bends I have a C A tuner that tells when I hit the the desired bend i.e. -3//. Its going to take a long time to play bends well for me, years. A tech suggested I play -2 -2 -2// -2 // -2/ -2/ -2/ -2/ . He said play it like the Batman song, which I did not know but once I heard it and helped me in a big way learn the bends played on the -2. If you can whistle inhaling try playing all three steps of the -3. I can get the first two but the =3/// is tough but I do not put much emphasis on it. Listen to a Bob White quail on U Tube and replicate its sound. You have to bend down your first portion, exactly what you do with a harp. Take it lightly as it is easy to move through the sweet spot. If I had heard this when starting my first bend wound have happened much earlier. I got so frustrated a reed would lock up as a result of too much breath and going through the spot. Sounds like practice will solve what problems you have. I chose tunes that required me to move up and down the harp so playing single notes and moving to the next note improved. Its the one thing I got right.
thanks for the reply. I am very early in my harmonica journey and have much to learn. Fortunately it’s not my first instrument, so I already know the value of practice and patience.
And that mind bending frustration is actually a good sign, hahaha.
I was stoked to be able to hear myself do a bend, but the main thing was I was able to identify exactly where I was going wrong, not that I can always fix it, of course. I liked your tip about listening to the quail. I will definitely use it as I am about to get back to grinding.
When you hear the first portion of the whistle you will hear a drop in pitch. I heard on outside a couple of months ago and tried to answer back. I did as I whistled from age 12 when I had a place the quail hunt. I dropped the pitch to match the quail whistle and realized I was doing the exact same thing bending down a harp note. My tongue was right where it needed to be to bend a harp note. Just wish I heard this at the beginning of my harp venture. When I started I came about as close as a human can drawing my tongue back to fast and to quick. It is one of those things that seems to be the easier you try the better the result. I got so frustrated I came about as close as physically possible to create a vacuum. I heard the air rushing and said KA and a bend popped out.
Even if you cannot get the sound and heard the air rushing you are very close if not on the sweet spot. I drop my lower jaw a bit, which seems to cause the air speeding up. Hope it helps.
I started practicing bends from the lowest to the highest i.e. -3/// then ease into a -3// and then -1/. I practice the 2 bend, which I feel is as easy as the others with a -2 2 -2// -2// -2/ -2/ and -2 -2.
I work on the -2/ -3/ -3// -4/ -6/ -7/. I play short riffs with them. The -3/// is very deep and hard on my ear. Cannot remember playing a tune with the -3///. I am on the second step of a long latter but everyone has to start a step at a time and being very good takes years and lots of practice. Frankly I do not think there is a harp player that mastered every aspect or ever will. Herp Alpert, who I think was about as good a trumpet player ever said he never felt he mastered the instrument. I practice daily and progress comes in steps. It is not a straight line endeavor. I have found its the little things you pick up that will help in the long haul.
Something that helped me to really start bending was, trying to pronouncing a B while drawing in, for whatever reason it really helped me until I could just do it without thinking about it.
Yeah, that works now that I tried it. I’m hitting bends fairly consistently now, which is unbelievably satisfying. I’m still a long way from incorporating it into actual music, but the journey continues…
Hahaha I’m a pretty reasonable guitarist / singer but today I was stoked to be able to play ‘Lion Sleeps Tonight’ 1 time through, clean (at 1/2 speed). Unbelievably satisfying after so much frustration.
I’m totally hooked on the harmonica, take one with me everywhere!