RE: [Harp-L] Discovering overblows and custom harps. Was: Musical Instruments & Levels of Accomplishment



Hi Gary

>i'm not at the point of doing overblows yet, but it's not exactly thrilling
>to think i'll need to become a certified harp mechanic in order to set
>up my harps for that, or to think about how many harps i'll likely ruin
>in pursuit of that goal.
You know, I really think it's not that hard to start overblowing and I'm not
sure you would ruin your harps. Of course, mastering overblows and playing
them with a good sound in all keys is very difficult and takes a lot of
time. But obtaining the 6th and 5th overblows on a regular harp is
relatively easy to do.

The only condition is that you can easily bend the high blow notes. If this
is the case, open your harp and block the 6th blow reed with your finger.
Then shape your mouth as if you made a blow bend. Blow gently. You should
obtain an overblow (one half-step above the draw note).

The best harps to start with are in my opinion the hohner (Special 20 or
Golden Melody for example) but any reasonably airtight harp will make it,
except for the Lee Oskar which are known for squealing when overblowing
(torsional vibration). If you really like the Lee Oskar, they can be fixed
with turbotape (see
http://www.planetharmonica.com/ph4/VE/TurboharpUK.htm ).
The key of C and Bb are among the easiest to overblow.

Once you've obtained an overblow, gap the blow reed very low and the draw
reed quite low and try to alternate the regular blow note with the overblow
(playing the draw note before the overblow helps). The tweaking is very easy
to do to obtain a relatively good result.

Really, I think it is worth giving it a try. Ben Felten showed this at a
masterclass and ALL the participant succeeded. But be careful, once you've
obtained an overblow, you may be lost forever and spend a lot of time trying
to fully master them!

It is interesting to note that the 6th overblow alone is worth the effort as
it is the minor third in 2nd position.

If you aspire to seriously incorporate overblows in your playing, custom
harps will help you A LOT. In my opinion, custom harps are the most viable
options (if you can afford it). Tweaking your harps to respond very well can
be VERY difficult and time consuming. Apart from Joe Filisko and friend,
there are several good customizers that can build you a good custom harp
rather quickly and for a moderate price. The one I know are Tim Moyer and
turbodog in the US and Ben Bouman in Europe but there are other ones. If
you're intested, you can find more info at:
http://www.planetharmonica.com/ph5/VE/PlayingChromaticallyUK.htm

Just my 2 (euro) cents
Hope this helps

   Laurent
   http://www.planetharmonica.com

PS: see also http://www.tenhole.com/ for everything related to overblows.










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