Tomlin’s Harmonica Podcast

Second position sounding strained once you climb above hole six? In this "Ask Tomlin" episode I help student Robert smooth out his upper octave major pentatonic scale.

In this Ask Tomlin episode I sit down with student Robert, who's started exploring second position blues harmonica up in the high end - holes six through ten - and can't get his major pentatonic scale sounding as sweet as he'd like. He describes the airflow up there as a different beast entirely, and when a note doesn't come out clean it genuinely gives him a headache.

We work through why the 6 draw feels so much more strained than the 6 blow, and I explain the physics behind it - your vocal cavity needs to shrink as you climb higher, the same way you'd tune a resonating chamber. I also show Robert how switching to a lower key harmonica, like a G, makes the upper octave far easier to access while he builds confidence, before working back up through A and eventually C.

We finish on tongue blocking technique for the high end, including which side of your mouth to play from, and a simple daily practice plan for anyone finding the top of the harmonica unfamiliar territory.

⏱ Audio Chapters
0:00 – Robert's struggle with the upper octave major pentatonic scale
0:31 – What's the one thing to work on today?
1:19 – Robert plays the high end for the first time
2:21 – Getting the 6 draw sounding as good as the 6 blow
4:36 – The physics behind why high notes feel so tight
6:16 – Why it's okay to feel like a beginner again
6:54 – Using different harmonica keys to build up gradually
9:44 – Tongue blocking: which side of your mouth to use
13:07 – A practice plan for owning the upper octave

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/3RJKzA5

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

► WIN one year of tuition at Tomlin Harmonica School AND a Hohner Special 20 in C https://kingsumo.com/g/1dy2e91/back-to-school-blues-harmonica-giveaway/

 

 

In the sixth (and final) episode of this series for Beginner Harmonica players, I’ll be talking about the reason that most people never learn how to play Blues harmonica despite it being the biggest selling instrument on the planet.

 

 

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STAY CONNECTED! 🔗

 

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► Tomlin's Free Blues Harmonica Toolkit https://tomlinharmonicaschool.com/p/blues-harmonica-toolkit

In the fifth episode of this series for Beginner Harmonica players, I’ll be telling you the 3 mistakes I see everyone making when they start learning harmonica. Avoid these mistakes and improve faster!!

 

There is a lot of arguing online about lip pursing vs tongue blocking on harmonica. As a beginner harmonica player I think it is really important that you understand the difference between the two and why you might want to learn both. In this episode I will explain the difference between the two, the advantages of both and how to pick which one to learn first!

In the third episode of the series for Beginner Harmonica players, I’ll be answering the question “are you too old to learn harmonica?”. I’ll also be sharing some tips from some of my older students.

A lot of people think that they don’t like the Blues or that they just want to play a few simple tunes on the harmonica BUT I think that everyone should learn Blues Harmonica and this episode will tell you exactly why.

 

This is the first episode of a short podcast series for Beginner Harmonica players. Today I’ll be telling you the things you should know before you start learning harmonica.

 

► Which harmonica should you start with? A 10-hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C major. I recommend a Hohner Special 20.

► FREE Harmonica Foundations Course https://foxly.link/p5ugYk

 

❤️ Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode!

 

 

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🔥 JOIN OUR HARMONICA SCHOOL & COMMUNITY

 

► FREE 14-day trial at Tomlin Harmonica School. If you want to learn Blues Harmonica quickly and easily then you should check out my online harmonica school.

 

Click here for a 14-day free trial NOW -> https://tomlinharmonicaschool.com/p/harmonica-school-page

—————————————————————————

 

STAY CONNECTED! 🔗

 

👋 Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomlinharmonicalessons

👋 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomlinharmonicalessons

 

► Tomlin's Free Blues Harmonica Toolkit https://tomlinharmonicaschool.com/p/blues-harmonica-toolkit

 

 

Welcome to Tomlin’s Harmonica Podcast. This is the place to be for a variety of harmonica-related content including interviews, lessons and discussions about all aspects of harmonica playing. This podcast is brought to you by the Tomlin Harmonica School where I provide a step-by-step curriculum for Beginners to Advanced Intermediate players as well as personalised feedback and all the resources you need to get better at Blues harmonica. 

Today’s episode is just a short announcement.

► Join tomlinharmonicaschool.com to take your harmonica playing to the next level

Welcome to Tomlin’s Harmonica Podcast. This is the place to be for a variety of harmonica-related content including interviews, lessons and discussions about all aspects of harmonica playing. This podcast is brought to you by the Tomlin Harmonica School where I provide a step-by-step curriculum for Beginners to Advanced Intermediate players as well as personalised feedback and all the resources you need to get better at Blues harmonica. 

Today’s guest is one of my students over at tomlinharmonicaschool.com called Lise. We’ll be hearing her play and learning about how she started playing harmonica.

► Join tomlinharmonicaschool.com to take your harmonica playing to the next level