Why Can't I Play the 2 Draw Bend in a Tune? | Ask Tomlin

Can you play the 2 draw whole step bend on its own, but lose it the moment it shows up in a piece of music? You're not alone, and it's fixable.

In this episode of "Ask Tomlin", Nick joins me with a problem plenty of you will recognise. He can get the 2 draw whole step bend in isolation, but when it turns up in a piece from the curriculum, he can see it coming a few bars away and it trips him up every time.

We talk about why this is one of the hardest notes on the instrument and why it takes thousands of reps, and I share the story of a student who nailed the 3 draw whole step bend by playing Silent Night in front of an audience. We look at slurring versus articulating the bend, and why I practise the 2 draw, 2 draw whole step bend, 1 draw as a single unit rather than thinking about each note.

Then we get into how I practise a tune differently: hardest part first, building a lick back a few notes at a time, and knowing when to park a technique and move on. It's for any player who has a note they dread seeing in a tune, whatever your level.

⏱ Audio Chapters

0:00 – Why does the 2 draw whole step bend fall apart in a tune?
2:08 – How do I get confident with a scary note?
4:25 – Should I slur into the bend or articulate it?
5:45 – Why practise the 2 draw, 2 draw bend, 1 draw as one unit?
6:53 – Playing the four-note unit
8:23 – Why practise the hardest part of the tune first?
9:31 – How do I build the lick back a few notes at a time?
11:04 – Why lean into the discomfort?
12:15 – When should I park a technique and move on?

This video 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 tomlinharmonicaschool.com.