Tongue Blocking on the Harmonica

Hello, my name's Matt, and in this lesson we're going to be looking at tongue blocking on the harmonica.

Introduction to Techniques

There is more than one way of achieving a single note on the harmonica. The most straightforward technique is called lip pursing, where you go "ooh."

However, there's another technique called tongue blocking. As you might have guessed, it involves using your tongue.

Practicing Tongue Blocking

The Initial Exercise

The best way to practice this technique is to look at the first four holes on your harmonica: holes 1, 2, 3, and 4.

1. Put your mouth over holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 and blow them all together like this.
2. While you're still blowing, put your tongue over holes 1, 2, and 3 like this.

What you're doing here is initially playing a chord of four notes, and then your tongue blocks off notes one, two, and three, leaving just number four on its own.

Building Up

It's difficult at first, I won't lie to you, but here are some tips to help you succeed:

• Make sure you have a big embouchure. It should cover four holes at once, like a letterbox.
• The harmonica needs to be placed inside that embouchure quite a way, so you need to drop your chin.
• Your tongue isn't going straight forward like when you stick your tongue out; instead, it goes towards the left-hand corner of your mouth.

The tip of your tongue goes towards the left so that the right-hand edge of your tongue is what's blocking off holes 1, 2, and 3, leaving a gap in the right-hand corner of your mouth for the air to go down.

Why Tongue Blocking?

Now, you might wonder, why bother with this? You can get one note at a time by lip pursing, but tongue blocking allows you to do lots of other things, including:

• Adding rhythm behind what you're playing.

For instance, in a familiar tune like "The Saints Go Marching In," you can put rhythms behind the notes you play. When done skillfully, it can sound almost as if there are two harmonicas playing at once.

Step-by-Step Rhythm Practice

When it comes to learning how to make a rhythm behind your playing, again, start with hole number four:

1. Blow into holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 simultaneously.
2. Cut off 1, 2, and 3 with the tongue.

Progressing Your Technique

• Take a good breath in before you start.
• Breathe out into your harmonica gently.
• Cut off holes 1, 2, and 3, then take your tongue off and back on again.

You can try repeating this process multiple times, gradually building up speed.

Major Scale Practice

Another thing to try is playing the major scale. The major scale on these harmonicas only goes from hole 4 to hole 7.

• Blow into hole 4, then draw.
• Blow into hole 5, then draw.
• Blow into hole 6, then draw.
• At hole 7, draw first and then blow.

Note Order Foibles

• Holes 1 to 6: Blow note is lower than draw note.
• Holes 7 to 10: Blow note is higher than draw note.

Thus, when you play the scale starting at hole 4, you go:

• Blow, draw, blow, draw, blow, draw, draw, blow.

This is an effective way to practice tongue blocking and rhythm simultaneously.

Clarifying Tongue Position

Just to clarify:

• When playing hole number 4, your mouth is over holes 1, 2, 3, and 4.
• When playing hole 5, it's over 2, 3, 4, and 5, and so on.

You move the tongue block up and down the harmonica. Some people mistakenly think that when playing hole number 7, they must still cover holes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6; however, this is not necessary.

Limitations of Tongue Blocking

It's not practical to tongue block holes 1 and 2 because you don't get much back for your efforts. However, tongue blocking does permit you to add rhythmic elements to a variety of music styles.

Conclusion

Tongue blocking also plays a significant role in Blues, especially in Chicago blues, allowing you to add a nice beat and giving some notes a bit more punch. For example:

Practice Song

Another song to practice with tongue blocking is "When the Saints Go Marching In."

1. Blow into holes 1, 2, 3, and 4; block holes 1, 2, and 3.
2. Move up, blowing holes 2, 3, 4, and 5; block holes 2, 3, and 4.
3. Repeat this with the final holes 3, 4, 5, and 6; blow them all and block holes 3, 4, and 5.

This method allows you to hear a bit of the chord each time before blocking it off.

From here, you can go on to develop the tongue block and make more sophisticated rhythms. It's a useful technique, challenging but worth it!