what alot of people giving advice about bending dont understand is that the beginners dont understand themself!

HERE IS A MORE LITERAL DEFINITON OF BENDING!:

you bring your tongue back into your throught, humping it in the back. this reduces the air flow as you draw air in (for holes 1 - 6) and makes the reeds inside your harmonica vibrate slower. the slower vibration of the reed makes the pitch lower by as much as 3 notes (on draw 3). i dont know how to bend 7-10 at all but that isn't very important at the beginning.

and HERE is how to move your tongue back!:

if you don't understand how you get your tongue back (its so confusing to understand), you make the "oooh" (ohhhww) sound and as it gets lower, your tongue moves back farther. it feels almost like you're swallowing your tongue!

i find that if you know what bending acually is you have a better understanding of it, and i should know, i just began a few weeks ago.

Here's another way to think of it.
Think of your harmonica as a straw. Now take in a big mouthful of a thick milkshake. (But you have to use your lungs, too.)

Try this site, and click on "bending" in the menu on the left.



Post Edited (2008-11-02 21:19:52)

whoa, havent heard that before, thats fantastic almost as good as hoodle diddle

that website is awesome. thanks for posting it.