Tomlin’s Harmonica Podcast

Tomlin Leckie

Learn Harmonica today with Tomlin from Tomlin harmonica School!

  1. 2 days ago

    How Do I Bend the 2 Draw on Low Harmonicas? | Ask Tomlin

    Struggling with the 2 draw whole step bend on your lower key harmonicas? It's not a small mouth problem and it's not a talent problem - it's completely normal. In this coaching call I work with Patti, one of my students, on getting her 2 draw whole step bend working on the B flat and A harmonicas. We start on the C and straight away hit a useful lesson about bending apps - handy at first, but leaning on them stops you trusting your ears. Then I explain why low key harmonicas are harder to bend: you're tuning your vocal cavity to the note you want, and the lower the harmonica, the bigger that cavity has to be. Think of the C as your easy dumbbell, the B flat as the next weight up and the A as the one you're building towards. It's not about power - it's about finding the position and getting comfortable holding it. We finish with a simple practice plan for working down through the keys - perfect if you can bend on your C but come unstuck when you play lower harmonicas with other people. ⏱ Audio Chapters 0:00 – What we're working on in this coaching call 0:22 – Patti's problem: the 2 draw bend on lower keys 1:35 – Testing the bend on the C harmonica 2:08 – Why you should wean yourself off bending apps 3:19 – Why low key harmonicas are harder to bend 4:55 – The dumbbell analogy: building bending strength 6:24 – Trying the bend on the B flat 8:00 – Trying the bend on the A 9:23 – A simple practice plan for lower key bends 12:32 – From practising alone to playing with other people This podcast is brought to you by the ever-growing Tomlin Harmonica School - where you get a proper step-by-step curriculum, real feedback from real teachers on your own playing, and a genuinely warm community of fellow Harmonicats. Try it free for 7 days at https://bit.ly/4hA2CD1 👉 Gear I Use (Amazon Affiliate Links) If you use these links to buy anything, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You're not obliged to use them, but I'm very happy if you choose to support the channel this way! 👉 Best Harmonica for Beginners Hohner Special 20 – https://amzn.to/3K5Pqr1 👉 My Favourite Diatonic Harmonicas Hohner Crossover – https://amzn.to/42vGmSs Hohner Marine Band Deluxe – https://amzn.to/3Ipbf4g 👉 My Favourite Chromatic Harmonicas Hohner CX-12 – https://amzn.to/3K5Nq1V Suzuki SCX-48 – https://amzn.to/3IdAS8e 👉 My Favourite Harmonica Microphone Hohner HB-52 – https://amzn.to/3Ijic70

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Learn Harmonica today with Tomlin from Tomlin harmonica School!

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