@Luke, You wrote “Raise the back of your tongue…”
Harmonica made me realize how work our tongue. I’m using front part of tongue to bending high notes blow, and back for bending low notes draw. But now I’m trying to temporary forget about tongue and make bends using throat.
@davidkachalon, You wrote “It happens in the back of the throat…”
Our throat is the group of organs. Some of these can bend notes. Independely of tongue. I think that tongue-blocking is good reason to practice non-tongue bending. I block some channels and bend. Or stick my tonge to palate and then bend. If my adams apple jumps when bending then that bend is made probably with lower part of throat, not by tongue. Then (tongue still sticked), i bending without adams apple jumping - then bend is made using some other organ in throat (i don’t know exactly which). Throat bending can be made independly of tongue blocking.
@davidkachalon thank you for the advice. The slight smile on the side, or wink definitely help to get a bit of the next hole more easily than how I was trying it. Now the problem is that I still lose the bend when doing so. I am also trying to for example start from a dirty -4 and try to bend but that doesn’t work either. I guess that will come with practice?
OMG! Two days ago, during my morning bend practice session, I finally unlocked tongue-blocking dirty bend. This was driving me crazy. One lick I really like and learned practicing Cowboy Bebop soundtrack “Digging my potato” performed by Bill Lynas on the harmonica, is one he plays in the intro.
He ends a -4/-5 trill by -4’ -4’(5) -4’ -3’ -2, and he extends and pull harder on the dirty -4`(5) bend which sounds really cool. But as I was losing the bend it was becoming -4’ -4(5) -4’ -3’ -2 which sounded ugly because I was temporarily going back up the blues scale.
@davidkachalon your tips put me on the right track but I couldn’t prevent the tongue to move while trying to extend the lips on the right by winking or smiling. The tongue would always move with the lips. But yesterday I got it. I need to stop trying to extend the lips to the right but move the lower jaw to the right. Then the tongue stays in its bending position.
Now I have all the pieces to practice “Digging my potato” tongue blocking. And @Luke now I can also work on Muddy Waters Mannish Boy with a dirty bend and work on blow bends.
This is definitely my biggest weakness as a harmonica player. Every single bend I do tongue blocked, it makes my harps sound like they’re leaking air when they’re not. I mainly play the Hohner Golden Melody, which is a professional quality model, but I still have this issue no matter what model I attempt this on. Unless if it’s for a specific effect I’m aiming for like octaves, I do not tongue block at all.
I call myself a pucker player because I developed my tone by using tall, rounded lips and an open throat. It’s also because of how I actually play the harmonica. My style in a nutshell is soulful country harmonica similar to players like Terry McMillan (who was one of the best pucker players in my honest opinion). I use a lot of glissandos and quick note changes when I play, which I can’t really achieve those kinds of sounds while tongue blocking as it feels very clunky to use. I’m also a part-time u blocker where I curl my tongue into a U shape to isolate single notes and even then, I could get solid bends with that compared to tongue blocking.
However, many people online tried to pressure me for years into becoming a full-time tongue blocker. They think I’m limiting myself for being a pucker player and that my playing is soulless. Occasionally, I’m told that I’m “lazy” and “not a real blues harmonica player” because I don’t tongue block everything. I never understood why certain harmonica players have to shame others for not sticking to what they believe is the status quo. This is why I say “the harmonica is a very personal instrument” because there’s a lot of different playing styles, but certain people will get extremely emotional over somebody sounding different from what they like.
They probably are subconsciously insecure and plagued by feelings of inferiority. Anything “different” is (again, subconsciously) seen as an attack that threatens their fragile ego.
The solution (for you) is to simply ignore them. Do your thing and let them solve their own personal problems. Replying to or arguing with them is a waste of your valuable time and energy that could otherwise be put to more productive use.
@Mugen@davidkachalon OMG I just go tongue-blocked blow bends for the first time.
I’m not sure what happened. I was just practicing my octaves in the high register, split -48 58 -49 -59 69 -610 710. I was experimenting with the balance of the volume between each note in the split, and somewhere in the midst I accidentally bent down one of the high notes.
And voila! I tried all the blow bends tongue-blocking and all of a sudden I can do them all. SOOOOOO WEIRD. I honestly thought I might live my whole life and never do a tongue-blocked blow bend.
As when we acquire any new technique, needless to say I’m STOKED!!! CHEEEEEE HOOOOOOO.
The final frontier is tongue-blocked over-blows. Not expecting THAT to happen this lifetime…but who knows.
@Luke awesome!
I am having a frustrating battle with tongue-blocked blow bends…
Like for all bending training so far I started on my G harmonica since I find it easier (less delicate control required). I am practicing every morning for 10 minutes. After a month now, I start to be able to tongue-block blow bend the +8 on the G harmonica, pretty constantly and clean, being able to hold it. The +9 is more of a struggle and totally inconsistent (or +8 on my A harmonica). I easily get passed it, or have weird parasite sound, etc. But I feel/hear something. I have some feedback. It’s just a matter of trying more until the right tongue position and right throat/palate pressure. I just have to stick to it. It will come.
The most ridiculous thing that happened the other day, was that I was practicing the +9 tongue-block blow bend, going nowhere. And while trying, I squatted down to pickup something on the floor while trying the bend and… I got a perfect blow bend. Stand up, bend gone. I was like “what’s going on!” . I tried again, squat down, and I got a clean +9 bend again. Total nonsense… Maybe it has partly to do with the harmonica position or the throat pressure which is different. I’m experimenting with it. I might however end up with biffy legs before I can play all bends nicely… Imagine if I have to do a squat every time I play a bend on the harmonica!
The frustration however is the +10. Because no matter what I try, I have 0 feedback. I really don’t know what to do. It’s one thing to not be able to do something but Squatting does not help either there…
Amazing! Yeah like I was working on splits and ended up bending, you’re working on squats and end up bending. LOLOL!!! Regarding 10" isn’t that fascinating? But you can do the 10" when you’re lipping? Do you have a Low F? If so, maybe try it on that?
Not sure why I did not thought about that but I tried both 10` and 10’’ bends on my LC and LBb and I can do them. I did not tried much, so they were not clean, but I do have feedback.
I guess I will concentrate on the 8’ and 9’ bends and going up the keys. As I gain control on those I might be able to then do the 10’ and 10’’ back on the G harmonica and then go through all keys for those 2 bends.
BTW those octave practices look very hard! 48, -49, -610! So many holes to block! I did not even know that was a thing. Struggling enough on the lower classic octaves…
. I tried again, squat down, and I got a clean +9 bend again. Total nonsense… 
Maybe it has partly to do with the harmonica position or the throat pressure which is different. I’m experimenting with it. I might however end up with biffy legs before I can play all bends nicely… 
Imagine if I have to do a squat every time I play a bend on the harmonica!
