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Hi this is Jim Luke again and this lesson is on the single note pucker. There are two
ways to learn to play the harmonica. One of them is called tongue blocking and one is
a pucker method that I’m going to show you. Tongue blocking is really a great way to learn
to play; it is usually a little bit harder for beginners. So I usually tell people to
start with the pucker first. Now the pucker essentially means that you use your lower
lip, really only your lower lip. Just squeeze enough to get the single note; you never really
purse your lips hard like you were sucking on a soda straw. It doesn’t work like that.
The upper lip is, we call it zombie lip; it hardly ever moves at all. All it ever does
is just lay on top of the harmonica while you purse your lower lip a little bit, just
enough to get a single note. That is the basic secret of the pucker. So a good way to practice
that is to get the harmonica in your face comfortable have it about the middle, the
harmonica in the middle and start blowing back and forth very slowly and trying to get
the single notes. Work on different positions of your, of your mouth and your lips. Now
I forgot to tell you about one thing. You want to keep your tongue behind your lower
teeth. Just directly behind them as you are doing this and it will give you the best tone.
So now we are going to try a little; notice when I bring my lips to the harmonica I don’t
kiss. That’s how you practice getting your single note pucker. So work on it, that’s
the first step of learning to play the harmonica.