Check out Dizzy Gillespie.
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You can definitely play high notes quickly just pushing in/out air with your tongue. I can do this easily on holes 7-10 on a C harmonica, for example.
The higher note, the less the diaphragm needs to be engaged, in my experience.
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I like to use it on the right side of the harp. It seems easier for me to control.
It just takes practice that’s all, doesn’t matter if you’re carrying a few pounds or a lot of pounds, Paul Delay was a huge man as was William Clarke and they had some of the best techniques going, I still get flabbergasted when I hear those guys.
I have one lung and Asthma which my playing has helped over the years ( it was originally therapy, believe me it could have been worse it could have been a flute!)
There’s loads of breathing exercises now on YouTube but the one I have found most useful is the one I learned in Martial arts, gentle breathes in through the nose out through the mouth, whilst making different sounds with your breath, ahhhh, ooooo, ssss, and so on use the back of your throat too, don’t purposely try to breathe from the diaphragm try breathing with your stomach sooner or later you will connect with the right muscles for your diaphragm.and Relax! I’m often pointing this out to most beginner players they seem all tensed up if your tense you can’t breathe properly.
Dizzy Gillespie used to get his head pumped up before every gig:joy:
I’ve mentioned this in another thread, but after struggling with it for a long time these things helped:
= Sit up straight, shoulders lifted, chin up and forward(like in an eye exam), and treat your inner airways as if it were a bagpipe
=since I lip purse, I found the advice about tilting the harmonica upward counterproductive. in my case it was downward that did the trick. could be my jawline, dunno.
=Try to imitate that you are “tired” - not out of breath, but “tired/lazy”, both in terms of breathing and face. Imagine your face is tired. this is what people mean when they say “relaxed mouth position.” If same for your tongue, especially if you tongue block, imagine it’s under anesthesia.
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