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Harmonica Embouchures
by
John Watts

Embouchure is just a fancy way of saying how your mouth and the harmonica come together for playing.  There are three embouchures that are commonly used to get a clean single note on the harmonica, pucker (sometimes called “lipping”), U-block, or tongue block. 

1. The pucker is just what it sounds like, you just pucker up your lips to get a small opening and place it over a hole. It helps to tip your harp up or down, because then your lips will help seal off the holes on each side of the one you want to play. I happen to tip the back of the harp down, but many tip it up to assist in blocking off the side holes. With a pucker you need to try to get the harp as deep into your mouth as you can and still keep only one note sounding or the sound will be thin. With all methods the deeper you can get the harmonica, the better tone you will have. Advantages of the pucker are that it seems to be the easiest method for most beginners to learn, and most people find it easier to learn bends since the tongue is free to participate in the internal shape changing needed to form a bend. The main disadvantages I have found with the pucker is that it is harder to get good tone, and due to not getting the harp deep in your mouth, and you can’t play chords as easily. 
2. With the tongue block method, you put your mouth over about 4 holes (this is usually about the number of holes your mouth naturally covers when you put the harp to your mouth) and cover the 3 to the left with the tip of your tongue, leaving the 4th open to sound at the right corner of your mouth. With a tongue block it is easy to get a chord by simply lifting your tongue while playing. You also tend to get much better tone because the harp is naturally deeper in your mouth.   The main disadvantages are that tongue blocking is harder for most to learn initially than the pucker, and it is harder to bend notes with a tongue block, since the end of your tongue is anchored to the harp. Bends are quite possible and not terribly difficult with a tongue block once you become proficient in bending, but it is easier to learn how to bend initially with the pucker method.
3. The third single note method that is used by a few players is the “U-block." This involves rolling your tongue into a "U" shape and then directing your breath toward a particular hole with your rolled tongue. The sides of your tongue also help to block out the holes on either side of the hole you are playing. Of course, you have to be able to roll your tongue which is genetic, not everyone can do it and it can't be learned if you don't have the genetics. I can roll my tongue, but do not find any advantage in using this method.

It is good to be able to switch back and forth between the pucker and tongue block methods, since some techniques and effects can only be played (or can be played more easily) with one type of block or the other as mentioned above, so you should practice both. It is always a struggle for beginners to get a good single note, but keep at it and it will come easily a while.