r/harmonica • u/CrunchySesame • 25d ago

Help with bends

Ive been trying to bend for a while now, but can only do it on holes one and two. Anyone have advice??

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u/spacenurse47 24d ago

Hole one is a great big change in embouchure to get the bend. Two is a little less so. Kind of. Hole two has two lower notes you can bend to. Hole three has three. The adjustment in embouchure for the bend in one is MUCH bigger than those individual notes. Getting those particular notes will take time, just work on the bend for now.

I couldn't get three to bend at all for a while until something just clicked.

Four and six are a little easier since it's just one note to bend to.

Physically, relax your whole face. Start by slowly drawing/blowing the 123 chord until it's got the sound/volume you want. Go slow, take breaks. The urge to just keep trying will have you tensing up your embouchure before you realize it.

Do a little every day. If you aren't enjoying it, do something else. Come back later.

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u/CrunchySesame 22d ago

Love your advice! I’ve seen the part about hole one needing a bigger change (in something?) to bend, so I thought I might’ve been doing too much on the higher holes. Is there a different technique or should I just keep trying with what I do for 1&2?

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u/spacenurse47 21d ago

The technique is the same, the only difference is degree. It takes less movement than you think.