Tongue Blocking VS Puckering for Playing Single Notes (Harmonica Lesson)

#harmonica #bluesharmonica #harmonicalesson
In this video I discuss the pros and cons of tongue blocking vs puckering/ lip pursing for playing single notes on the harmonica.
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[@willharmonicawilde]

LEARN HARMONICA WITH ME: www.willwildeharmonicamasterclass.com

[@norfolknwhey4787]

For some reason this debate is still super active in forums, when most professional players use both methods. The only folks that argue that one style is the best, seem to be the ones that shouldn’t really be giving advice in the first place. I finally hunkered down and played the last few months exclusively TB’ing. It took some time and effort, but now I can bend TB effectively, and use puckering for faster riffs and specific tonal uses.

[@Mueleski]

Well said Will. I agree that someone should know both methods and I think you really demonstrated that well.

[@thezentrucker]

Thanks, Will. Great video. So appreciate the balanced view on lip pursing vs. tongue blocking. At the end of the day, when playing a gig in some dusty bar/club, that harp is running through a mic, pedals, and amplifier, and 99.9% of the people in the crowd don’t even know what lip pursing and tongue blocking are. So, to me, the learn both and use both as needed is the most pragmatic approach.

[@goldenteledy2002]

This is a great video for such a polarizing topic. I started out as a lip purser (I don't really like the word "pucker") and introduced tongue blocking into my style a few months into playing. I originally wanted to play blues, but I was very intimidated by all the people saying that if you lip purse, you're not a real blues player. Even as a country player, I sometimes get that I should play blues all the time and 100% tongue blocked if I wanted "more control over my instrument" (whatever that means). Just let me be able to play whatever I want, Facebook! I don't need to be constantly judged because I don't sound like Charlie McCoy or that I don't tongue block all the time or that I should be playing blues.

[@cincinnatipedalsteel4347]

Those who argue one is better than the other most likely can’t do them both. I’m only a little over a month in to my learning of the harmonica. I want to learn tongue blocking eventually….. BUT right now I’m just using lip pursing and it’s serving me well. Slaps sound so cool man. If I never use tongue blocking for anything else I want to learn that.

[@frankysour]

Thanks! Great insights as always

[@jimijamesrogers4167]

Excellent information. Thank you for explaining this.

[@devendrabakhshi179]

Excellent tutorial

[@Duane77]

I highly recommend the free coarse. It helped me a lot.

[@Kimtheharp]

Sir, this single instructional video is one of the best I have ever heard and it makes me want to search out and listen to every note you have ever played on the web.

[@mb56436]

Another great video Will! Thank you! I just ordered one of your harps. Can’t wait to get it!

[@TheGixernutter]

Totally agree. You'll need to master both.

[@orlandoterrazas2179]

Nice take on tongue blocking vs lip pursing techniques... I started playing lip pursing for years... I knew about tongue blocking to play octaves and splits but didn't know about tongue slapping... 😅 but am slowly integrating tongue slapping to my playing... I absolutely love the tone Thanks Will!!

[@ikust007]

Splendide! Learn some subtilités! Merci 🙏

[@Daymanoahha]

so so useful, thank you :)

[@ohiofredl]

Thanks.

[@joetheharp]

Really good, intelligent treatment of this subject, which has become ridiculously polarised. Totally agree that both techniques have their pros and cons. Another puckering "pro" is that it's next to impossible to get overblows/bends tongue blocking. Another tongue-blocking "pro" is that it's a good way of getting a more reliably in-tune note without accidentally bending it, which can sometimes happen with puckering. Great video - keep 'em coming.

[@adamburges4807]

Thanks for your video on the age old debate i've only just caught on with, I used to think tongue blocking was only used for octave splits and flutters etc until quite recently when learning some people exclusively play TB like Little Walter. Definitely good to try both techniques and get feels for it all. Mastering the instument is a good thing!

[@31416]

One can get the deeper warmer tone of TB by "lip blocking" or the "deep relaxed mouth" embouchure. Different from a more outward pucker. I can hear the difference in brigthness iny playing. So I can choose what fits best vs the song. I only TB for splits.

[@alananthony1960]

Thanks Will! Working on tongue blocking now in your course. Awkward now but will keep at it .

[@guille3056]

Tongue blocking has a darker and dirty lovely sound, im discovering it now but yes, i feel much more confortable with lip purse for bendings or if i need clear sound like you say. Great explanation.

[@carlhenriksvedberg9148]

Thanks Will for an excellent video ! - helps a lot when introducing Tongue blocking to a friend of mine - I use U-blocking myself, 😉

[@raymondallanwing]

I'm glad you put this up Will has I use a mix of both but mainly I pucker has my son is a blues player I keep telling him I don't play blues I play harmonica.😎

[@miguelrosanorojas5249]

Saludos desde la Ciudad de México!!

[@martinlindgren4490]

I grew up playing the old tremolo-harmonica with double holes. No puckering or bending there :-) Then one day I picked up a Hohner Blues Harp and never looked back. Now I play Crossover or Seydel Session Steel. Im glad I learned thoungeblocking so well however. It fits in my opinion soft or modest music very well.

[@guilhermesousa227]

nice man, keep it up

[@MrSocko-bh1jb]

🤘My new favorite harp player, and he looks Metal; No Metal ppl seem to play harp... well now there`s 2! You play amazing btw🤘

[@patrikduller8449]

Both😎

[@ziraga]

Thanks will! I'm gonna practice that on my wife now. I'll keep you updated. lol

[@gabrielgabgab5861]

Thanks, teacher. My congratulations for his good work. Would you give us some quick advice for Puckering?. Thank you very much and greetings from Spain ​

[@Human_Herbivore]

Originally I followed Tomlin's school so only puckered, later I wanted to find out more about tongue block and use David Barrett's school. I'm now more a tongue blocker because that's where my training is. I do find good amplified control still a little awkward with TB because of the difficulty with finding space for hand and mic when the harp is so far in my mouth. In general, gotta agree, learn both and use either when whatever you are playing works best for you.

[@norfolknwhey4787]

I had a similar issue and fixed it by trying to completely seal the air around the harp, so much so that you can feel a sort of vacuum when drawing or blowing… this is the base for getting that super thick fat tone everyone is going for… by doing this, I was able to figure out that I need to to shift the harp a bit more towards the side of my face, and use my face more to help seal off the harp instead of just hands. When I tried before, it was all hands and it felt very difficult to maintain embouchure and a good grip on the mic. After a couple weeks of doing this, I naturally found what worked best for holding the mic/harp and getting a nice fat tone.

[@javierpuccia2002]

🙌

[@heiko6983]

Thanks Will. What You are saying (and the way you are playing‼️) makes perfectly sense for me. I am far away from your skills, but I also do all my bends and overblows puckered. I do only tongue block holes 4, 5 and 6 most of the time. And play the slaps on octaves, slapping the two holes in between with the tongue. Do you use this technic also?

[@willharmonicawilde]

Yes, I use slaps on octaves somtimes too.

[@MaximilianoJ]

I've got my first harp just 3 days ago... Feels like i need minimum of 10 years the reach only 25% of what you just played on this video. 😂 Great lesson anyways. Your music is awesome. 🤝

[@user-sh9fd8zb3c]

👍👍👍

[@shawnedwards5369]

I use a combination of the tongue blocking described, but also roll my tongue (block the two outside holes and let air through the center hole) instead of pucker for singles. I mean, if your tongue's already blocking the left two, why not learn how to play all the combinations of singles and doubles?

[@ayanghosh-lm2rl]

Sir, can you please play shinunoga e wa.

[@jaciobe]

I can't tongue blocking yet but I tend to have the harmonica deep in my mouth

[@ChocolateJesii]

Charley McCoy switches between pursing and tb on those real fast runs to skip up to higher notes without having to move the harp as much.

[@willharmonicawilde]

Yeah, it's good for that too.

[@Qzainal]

Thank you will, how do you make that vibration in single note? Is it fast bending or tongue movement?

[@willharmonicawilde]

Throat vibrato

[@pistolerro427]

Well this is what I want to know how to use the tongue. When you block say 2 holes on a chord, do you use the front tip of your tongue or try to lay it flat against the holes?

[@willharmonicawilde]

Use the side of your tongue. When blocking holes to the left, use the right side of the tongue.

[@michellindberg8153]

👌👌👌👍❤️❤️😎🤘

[@funksoulbrother3620]

Tongue blocking on hole one is a nightmare for someone switching over. I keep falling off the harp because there's nowhere to put my tongue. One solution is to play upside down like many players do but that way lies madness

[@willharmonicawilde]

Yeah, you can just put your tongue on the bit of wood/plastic to the left of hole 1 if you want to stay in the tongue block embouchure, or you can learn to block out of the right hand side of your mouth, or just switch to pucker on that hole, whatever works for you.

[@claudiavalentim]

Your videos have been helping me a lot!! I really wanna buy your course, but can't afford it now. Do you offer any promo codes in special occasions? I'll keep checking. 😁 Thanks for all the free videos!

[@willharmonicawilde]

Thanks a lot Claudia, glad you are enjoying the videos. I may run a promotion soon.

'So if youre trying to do smth like this silly little thing *[simply inserts beethoven on harmonica]*, then maybe you should play this way.' Meanwhile my tongue went to the state of perpetual akimbo just by trying to think about doing it.

[@kredonystus7768]

I just realised you haven't played the Bow River harmonica solo here. It's one of the best ever done. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipW5g4F6o7l-irc

[@mayday6jna]

Alot to disagree on here. Keeping in mind I'm only halfway through this video. You say TB is blocking two holes to the left... No we (I) block 3 holes to the left. You say about having a "brighter" tone... Actually it's a thinner tone which is what you are known for. You say yourself it helps you cut through the other players on stage. Also you say it's very hard to play fast runs TB which again is incorrect. Id be happy to give an example of this to prove my point.TB doesn't slow me down at all. I also disagree with you saying you should pucker to begin with. If you are a student trying to learn the blues traditionally you should tongue block. Thats how those guys learnt and played. If you want to play Will Wilde songs and Freebird solos by all means, pucker. I want to add that I'm (obviously) an advocate for tongue blocking, however how you play is up to you. If you want that thin tone, stick to puckering, if you want that thicker, crunchier tone you should tongue block. Simple as that. I understand you are trying to sell your lessons so I'll leave it at that.

[@willharmonicawilde]

I use (and teach) both techniques, depending on what sound I want. Both are valid and useful for different things. To me, restricting yourself to only using one or the other is like a guitarist saying they ONLY use their neck pickup or their bridge pickup, it's two different sounds.

[@mayday6jna]

@@willharmonicawilde Agreed totally. It comes down to what the player wants to sound like.when you take into account tho, that most new players are walking up to a teacher wanting to learn blues harp after hearing Little Walter or Big Walter, Howlin' Wolf, William Clarke.... All those guys tongue blocked. (Interchanged with lips every now and again)They wanna learn the traditional stuff. They need to tongue block. Also, as a tongue blocker I don't find myself needing to lip purse for anything I play (jump and traditional/electric blues) however, the same cannot be said for a lip purser. Ive seen you explain a technique for lip pursers to try and mimic the vamp sound which comes way easier as a tongue blocker. Lip pursers need to interchange ALOT in traditional blues for flutters, tongue splits ect. When it comes to bending, again that comes easy for a tongue blocker who started out that way. Playing fast is also very easy... Its simply a matter of being able to hit every note on point at speed... No issues. Sugar Blue is a prime example. I believe a majority of lip pursers feel it's too much work to go back to the beginning and learn this new technique. I love what you do, Will and I truly believe you and Jason Ricci inspired a new generation of player.... Players that wanna shred on the harp. Players who wanna play the Freebird solo or rip 16th notes in gypsy jazz fashion. These players are left stumped when they come to play traditional blues however. For the most part, a lip purser who hasn't locked in a great tone trying to play traditional Chicago blues sound like a cheap ripoff and are exposed quickly... However a tongue blocker can shred on the harp and slow it down to get that great warm, thick tone when playing Chicago blues. It makes more sense to learn as a tongue blocker first. Those who are "put off" by tongue blocking..... Well the harp isn't for you. If youre a player who's interested in niche harp playing only then lip pursing is your go to. Long story short. Tongue blockers can do 95% of what a lip purser does. However,a lip purser couldn't make it through, let's say Big Walters boogie without needing to tongue block at some point. It just makes more sense to learn as a tongue blocker.

[@thezentrucker]

@@mayday6jna “Those who are put off by tongue blocking…well the harp isn’t for you.” Elitist nonsense, brother. Harmonica is an amazing instrument that just about anyone can master with practice and guidance from the right people. Guys like Will and Jason are making it accessible to so many, not just because they’re great teachers, but because they’re great people that encourage folks who are new to the instrument. So, yeah, I get it. Tongue blocking is a critical technique for serious players. But Howard Levy might have something to say about the benefits of lip pursing…😂

[@landztranz]

What about Butterfield? From what I've heard, if you want to try to sound like him I think you need to play pucker. Am I wrong?

[@thezentrucker]

@@landztranz Butterfield does both. All the greats can both pucker or tongue block, depending on what they’re playing.