Harmonica Techniques Step Two In Your Bending Diagram 3 shows what your tongue should look like in the bent position. Notice that the air scted Ai rassage is constricted between your tongue and Constricted Air Passage the back of the roof of your mouth. When first trying to bend say the syllables E - O in your deepest voice possible without the harmonica. When pronouncing the E, the front of your tongue is in the natural position and the back of your tongue is touching the bottom of your upper molars. Pronouncing the letter E is what gets your tongue in the right position to bend. When pronouncing the O, your jaw drops and your tongue is forced to the back of your mouth creating a constricted air passage. Center your lips on the 4 draw and make sure that you're only sounding the 4 draw throughout your bend. If you catch just a little bit of a neighboring hole while trying to bend, it's enough to stop you from making’a full bend. As you draw into the fourth hole say the syllables E = O. Remember to think tight and not to let any air leak through the sides of your tongue. You want to get your full air stream Z, (rough the constricted air cavity and by doing so WZ you should be able to feel the cold air stream ihrough the top center of your mouth: ~Diagram 3~ Extra Help If you were able to bend right after you read that, you are truly one of the gifted few. Some people get lucky and find the right positioning in their mouth right away and are able to bend. For most people it takes a good week or so of experimenting. Keep trying! If the syllables E - O don't work for you, try the word BOY. Say BOY a couple of times before picking up your harmonica to get used to the positioning of your tongue. Now take the B off to get the syllable OY. If you can only hear a slight bend, think tighter and more rigid in your embouchure. If you can't tell if you're getting a bend or not, try playing the corresponding bent note on a piano or guitar using your bend chart. Below is the bend chart to remind you what bends on the harmonica are available to you. Bend Chart Whole Step Bend (") —| Bb Half Step Bends (. —|E} | Gb| B Db| Gb} Bb | D> Ad |-—— () Half Step Bends F | A [—— (") Whole Step Bends Step and One Half Bend 14