Hallo @Luke,
deine Frage ist interessant, da auch ich von Anfang an versucht habe, zu Biegen. Das Ganze ohne tiefer darüber nachgedacht zu haben. 
Da es auf der C Harmonica nicht so zuverlässig funktionierte, habe ich es auf der G Harmonica geübt. Als das gut war, wieder auf C gewechselt und es funktioniert so, dass ich nach der kurzen Zeit sehr zufrieden bin.
Verfeinert habe ich es jetzt mit dem Zungenspiel und verschiedene Vorschläge von Silben. Bei mir ist es “WUI” und flexible Lippen Positionen.
Gerade hatte ich bei den anderen gelesen, ob Holz besser wäre. Meine beiden Harps haben einen Holzkamm.
Danke für den 
Anstoß!
Beste Grüße Astrid
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Hi @Poppo,
I don’t think it is valid to say that a lower or a higher tuned harp is easier to learn bending. This seems to be more of a individual characteristic where some people learn bends very quickly on lower tuned harps, others learn it more quickly on higher tuned harps. About the only thing one can do is try it out on one or the other and see which is best for you. 
Given that you have COPD, I think you should seriously consider a lower tuned harp. As I mentioned elsewhere (can’t find the link at the moment 
): medical study as confirmed that lower-tuned harps assist clearing the airways and improving pulmonary function for players with pulmonary problems such as COPD and some others as well. 
Regards,
– Slim
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Slim, Thanks. Yes you sent me info on the pulmonary harp. I note that when I bend hole 1 on my “G” harp I can feel a resonance clear into my 'gut", including feeling the vibration in my lungs. The 1 hole is very easy for me to bend, still having trouble with 4 and 3 My principal reason for learning the harmonica is probably my yearning to make music again. I was a rather good Accordionist in my teens, then migrated into the Organ. I played organ many years until my back could no longer stand to sit at the organ with my feet active and both arms extended. I am principally interested in playing only melodies, no aspirations for public performance (I will be 80 in 2 months), and I like the lower tones as opposed to the high (screechy) sounds from the upper octaves.
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Well then @Poppo, it really sounds like you might be one of those players who find it easier to bend the lower-tuned harps. Plus you have two added “incentives” to use lower-tuned harps:
- You prefer the lower tones.
- Medical research indicates that lower tones are better for your pulmonary function.
Considering these factors I personally would not even think about buying any harps that have higher tuning.
Regards,
– Slim 
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@Poppo I know this post was awhile ago so you may well have progressed since you made it. Only thing I can say is keep doing what you’re doing! Try and try again. You can do the -1’ consistently, so the -4’ is going to be less dramatic of mouth position, and more forward. Rock on!
Aloha,
Luke
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Higher keys require smaller more forward movements inside of the mouth to bend.
Lower keys require bigger movements more toward the back of the mouth to bend.
Rock on,
Luke
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I feel like I breathe well (from the abdomen) when I play single notes and chords and then when I switch to trying to bend i feel like I draw from the chest. Trying to correct this. Anyone else have this issue?
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Hi,
Only started a day or two ago and really enjoying the course. Question: I’m using my tongue to block off most of the hole to get the bend. By drawing through a smaller hole I seem to be able to achieve the bend fairly easily. Is it ok to do it this way? Thank God I read these posts as I have spent a day trying to get the -5 to bend! I’ll leave -5 and move on. Next Question: Have I missed something ? What do you mean by -3’ and -3" etc?
Bryan
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The holes -2 and -3 are able to be bent more than a half step down. Hole two can be bent down one half step and one whole step. These are notated as -2’ for the half step bend (on a C diatonic Richter tuned harp that would be the musical note F#) and as -2" for the whole step bend (2 half steps) and on a C harp that is the musical note F.
For the hole 3 there are three half step bends: -3’ means bend the note down one half of a step (on a C harp that is the note Bb), -3" means bend the note down two half steps (= one whole step) and results in the note A (on a C harp), and -3’" means bend down three half steps (= one and a half steps) and on the C harp results in the musical note Ab.
So any time you see -x’ where x is a hole on the harp, the ’ means bend the note a half step.
Regards,
– Slim
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Hi @bryan.milne68. Welcome to the forum!
I haven’t gotten to the bending part of the course I’m taking, but just wanted to welcome you aboard. 
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@Poppo, I do not like the higher screeching notes either, they make it very uncomfortable attempting to play and create havoc with my hearing aids. Pretty much anything that has any notes at and above hole 8 on the “C” harmonica, I don’t even try (nor want to) even attempt to play now at all. I want to be able to play, “Happy Birthday” and even bought an “A” harmonica to see if that will help / work. Haven’t received it yet tho. Saw the info on the “Lucky 13” also and that sounds interesting. Would be nice to just be able to play it on the “Lucky 13” I’m thinking but being a beginner, don’t need to get in over my head and make it to complicated!
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@Butch, I play “Happy Birthday” on my Hohner G Harp. It’s too shrill on the Hohner C, although it sounds good on the Hohner Melody C. 
A will definitely be good for you too.
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The “A” Harp will take you down 2 1/2 semi-tones (C>B>Bb>A) and will leave you 2 semi-tones above a G (G>Ab>A). I Don’t know much about the Lucky 13, but it does apparently has 6 notes added to the low end. That might make the top 3 holes unnecessary… I REALLY like my 2 “G” harps, but the LowC takes more wind than my COPD allows me.
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Yes, I have progressed. Before, the 1 hole bend was nearly automatic, and very easy to do. 2 and 3 were very difficult, 4 nearly impossible and 6 intermittent.
I have now progressed to where I have a lot of trouble with the 1 hole, 2, 3, and 4 are fairly easy to bend but I have very little control and find it difficult to "hit’ the bend note. 6 totally disappeared, but I have it back now, and am actually getting decent control in hitting the bend. I am making progress, but very slowly. I tend to start playing and find that I am still playing 45 minutes or an hour later. Then my inside lips are sore and I need to ‘lay off’ for a few days to let them heal… I am enjoying it very much, however. I bought a Key of G Hohner Chromatic. I have pretty much put it on the back burner as the combination of blow, draw, and slide do not come nearly as easily as the Diatonic Arrangement of Notes, which has almost become 2nd nature. It is also very difficult to “cup” the oversize 12 hole Chromatic, which detracts from the sound quality.
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Thanks for the input @AstridHandbikebee63, @Poppo. Sounds like ordering the “A” will be good plus guitars like the “A” and might even get a “Bb” and “G” to add to my collection in the near future. Still thinking about the “Lucky 13” also but maybe later on. Blues is my main interest so the lower keys work for that too plus I just flat out like the lower tones.
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Thanks buddy, that explains it perfectly. I live in a small village about 3 hours west of Sydney and I use a teacher in Argentina to assist me. Doing this on my own can be tough but I will continue on. Once again, thanks
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Thanks PineComb. Where are you from? I live in a small village 3 hours west of Sydney
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No problem, @bryan.milne68 – only I should also have mentioned that you will sometimes see tabs indicating blow bends on the holes where that is possible. The same notation is followed then only with either a plus sign (+) or no sign at all before the hole’s number in order to indicate that you must blow rather than draw in that hole. For example:
+8’ means a half-step bend when blowing into hole 9 (= Eb on a C diatonic Richter tuned harp)
+10" means a whole step blow bend (2 half-steps and results in a Bb on the C harp)
+10’ means a half-step blow bend (= B on the C harp)
Keep on harpin’
– Slim
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Bending now for a while with the help of the Bend it Better tool and after watching quite some technical video,s and documents (MRI scans of the throat/tongue from Barrett are a nice starting point when you like to know a bit more of he physics behind it).
Bending hole 1 is the easiest for me just by a bit of pressure in the throat with no tongue movement. Bending hole 4 is easy for me by using my tongue and making the cavity in front of my mouth smaller. Bending hole 2 and 3 is kind of OK fiddling with both tongue and throat for the lowest bends and I can do that fairly accurate (that Bend it Better tool is great !!)
By far the biggest challenge for me is the half step bends on hole 2 and 3, play that and keep that tone for a while, I need a lot more practice to be able to do that so it seems.
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Hi @bryan.milne68. I live in the US, in SouthWestern Arizona. Desert country, lots of sunshine.
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