Harmonica choke vibrato technique explained...

[@daveelsdon7164]

I really appreciate your videos I’ve been playing harmonica since I was a teenager self-taught cross heart I’ve been able to do over blows but just watching you help me to understand a little better and I’m able to control more and I noticed that certain harps over blow a lot easier specially like my B-flat in A flat and my C there’s other ones that don’t! Thank you so much I appreciate your videos my friend you are awesome thank you so much for putting these out there yeah my Barbara Rose I have learned early on from Paul Butterfield but you also open things up to where I can put more control and not so much throat control Thanks so much! Dave Elsdon

[@99crossy]

Watched several videos on vibrato and it really does depend on the way it’s explained. This was right for me. And that im already kinda doing it 😊 Thanks man

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

Glad I could help!

[@1957mhoffman]

Glad I found your channel, excellent tutorial. I used to live in Portland, and knew Paul deLay a bit. I got a personal lesson from him at his place, he played with such amazing tone and vibrato.

[@darrellpugh6186]

Very Well Explained, Thank You 😎

[@fabianowunder6122]

Helped a lot, specially in understanding the need to control the lower tempo vibrato and how to make it match the triplets. 💥🎶💥🎶 Just awesome! Amazing player and teacher too ⚡⚡⚡⚡

[@murraywagner8489]

Really glad you are doing these videos. I know it is probably very advanced but will you ever do a video on how you get the bagpipe sound on Amazing Grace on your Steady Movin cd. That is really amazing...

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

Actually, I'll bet Howard Levy (who was the first one to do this) probably has a descriptive breakdown somewhere online or on his own teaching website.

[@norfolknwhey4787]

For anyone struggling with this, where you can get the throat pulsing (tremolo) but the pitch doesn’t undulate, try this: play the 2 draw… perform a normal bend, and then let it come ALMOST back to the natural note… then start the throat vibrato. I found that I have to setup my embouchure and tongue where the bend just starts… and then add the vibrato. This should get the undulation going to build muscle memory. Hope this helps!

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

Interesting advice Norfolk...careful you aren't doing an embouchure vibrato instead with what you are recommending. There is absolutely no mouth "movement" involved in a good choke vibrato. Of course the embouchure mouth/tongue shape changes into different "holding patterns" - if you will - when bending. When doing a good choke vibrato, any residual mouth movement that may happen is a result of being able to control either subtly and softly - or more aggressively - the opening and closing of the glottal muscle which produces a true choke vibrato.

[@norfolknwhey4787]

@@carlosdeljunco8791when I do it nothing moves except my throat/epiglottis. I prob did a poor job explaining it. I have picked up jaw/embouchure vibrato since writing this, I find it sounds much better when adding vibrato on a bent note. When I use throat vibrato there it sounds a bit too choppy and I like it to be more smooth when using it on a bent note.

[@norfolknwhey4787]

@@carlosdeljunco8791I also failed to mention I play mostly tongue blocking so my bends come more from my throat than tongue movement.

[@terrysmith8704]

good tips for players there carlos and you use some great players aswell

[@terraformingthesubconsciou7131]

Excellent tutorial! You really helped me a lot!

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

Thanks Nick, glad the video was able to help you.

[@ernietollar407]

Incredible clinician.. and player. just wow

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

Ernie, thanks for the kudos - hope you're well and playing lots!

[@z1522]

The Wilson song around 13:30 is very akin to Sonny Boy's "Your Funeral and My Trial," a car horn bellowing tone amped more than his usual more acoustic sound.

[@jakubd3426]

I think you are right and furthermore I noticed that with mouth/ambusher vibrato the air flow source is closer to the reed when in throath vibrato the air flow gets weaker when it catches the reed. I`ve expirienced like unable to "reach" with the air the higher notes.

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

Absolutely the longer reeds and lower pitches respond to a bigger air cavity just as the shorter reeds and much higher pitches respond to smaller and tighter farther forward in the mouth - embouchure - to get the reed to do it's vibrato thing. Essentially, as I explained, the way we bend a note is the same application: lower bend notes require deeper bigger - farther back of your mouth - embouchure; and higher bend notes respond to smaller tighter and farther forward embouchure.

[@harpbaby1]

Carlos, I was wondering.......how can you get it to be a deep vibrato ( DeLays was awesome! ) without getting the ka ka ka sound to come through at the same time? If you play through an "dirty" amp, you don't hear it as much. But acoustically ( which is how I play ), I hear it. I've always loved those deep vibratos that certain people have.

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

...all I can say is that after you've had LOTS of practice (and learning and transcribing lots of other players you admire with the vibratos that you like), you start to be able to get a lot more control over how you want to articulate the different subtleties and nuances of good vibrato technique. And one of those many choices would simply be with less guttural sounds (ka ka as you say) while still being able to produce a deep wide vibrato. I'll bet that helped you lots! ;-)

[@harpbaby1]

Actually, it does help. And I tell people who ask me the same..........LOTS of practice.

[@blueguitar8479]

Great lesson Carlos! Thanks much!

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

Your welcome!

[@makilakixki]

Hi, Carlos, First off thanks a lot (honest!) for your generousity, these two videos on vibrato are helping me lots to explain the secrets of it, and also getting my own technique to the next level. THANK YOU! I've got a comment/question: you say in the video that "the speed of the vibrato is depending on the speed of music", which makes perfect sense and you highlight triplet and quarter note cadence as the most common ones. But, I wonder, what about vibratos that go off beat progressively to come back on beat later? I can't think of a specific example right now but I'm sure I've heard it in the past. What's your approach on it? Also thanks for your response :-)

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

These are just my observations I've heard in most players. I don't see why not you could speed up and slow down your vibrato on a given note, it could have a nice dramatic effect depending on the musical circumstances! The important thing is that you learn to have control over the speed to give you a wider palette to choose from!

[@makilakixki]

Wow, what an early response! Thanks!

[@mikesteagel1798]

This was the single hardest technique for me to learn.

[@BeyondTheMind007]

I notice when you vibrato the note ungulates from one note to another. how does this happen, and I am doing the glottal stop thing you showed, but it is just simply stopping the note, rather than bending it to give it vibrato?

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

Thanks for your question. It's' the action of almost stopping the note that causes the note to bend down as you "choke" out and close your throat muscles, then bend back up as you release it...of course, this is very nuanced and not as simple as this explanation...I do teach on Skype on one one. You can really only learn so much from watching a video! email me at [e-mail] if your' interested,

[@Kurtie7]

Thank you, Carlos...

[@dougbaz43]

For a great expressive vibrato, check out any of Greg Izor's work

[@norfolknwhey4787]

Or maybe Carlos del Junco?

[@johnnyh112]

Thank you

[@ericaltenloh278]

in which key do you play ?

[@carlosdeljunco8791]

in this video, a G harmonica