Re: [Harp-L] Re. Overblows etc.

[Zack <zack.pomerleau@xxxxxxxxx>]

When I first learned them I thought it was crazy. Now they are just the next
note in the Chromatic scale.

On Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 10:58 PM, Grant Walters <grant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi Nick:
>
> What I hear from you is passion...I love that.
> My cousin, a sax player, seems to have come to this over blow quite
> easily...
> I've yet to master it but I am not a total old schooler either.
> I don't think he looks down on me for not using it...
> I wish I could be as fluid as the guys on the list who have worked so hard
> on this new technique.
>
> I have spent countless hours trying to match horn lines.
> Little Walter, in my humble opinion, was playing his version of what the
> sax guys were doing in his time.
> Therefore I am always drawn to Little Walter.
>
> My guess is that if Little Walter was exposed to this  technique...he
> might, (only a might) have wanted to use it.
> Horn lines flow in a way that is hard to match with in and out breathing...
>
>
> But most of all I can't help but think of Norton Buffalo and how he
> referred to the "bag of tricks".
> How could it not help to have another trick in your bag.
>
> This whole conversation has me hot to get off the gig grind and woodshed on
> some of this "new" stuff.
> Alas, I am still trying to master the revolutionary rhythm and pop of Sonny
> Terry, (hoots and hollers too)
> Deford Baily still blows my mind and there is this guy named Mad Cat that
> scratched my back on the Hohner album. ( still can't match it)
> Don't even bring up Paul Delay's technique...to far out...These darn
> kids...what will they do next...should I just leave it alone.
> Naw...I still want to play barry Sax on my Low F.   Now, that is hard to
> do...
>
> But I hear what you are saying...and that is why I show up to hear the old
> school guys every time they hit town...I love it.
>
> Thanks for getting everybody worked up...
> and reminding us that just getting a cowboy hat won't make anybody a
> cowboy...
> There is room for all these styles...as long as you put your soul into it.
> I am sure you will.  Look forward to your project...
> If you need some horns...try Michael Peloquin...on the harmonica.(insert
> over blows here)
>
> peace brother
> Grant
>
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>
> On Feb 9, 2010, at 5:16 PM, Steve Baker wrote:
>
> > Hi Nick,
> >
> > good luck with your music, I look forward to hearing it and hope that you
> can find your market. It's good to know that there are still young,
> dedicated harp players out there who are willing to put their money where
> their mouth is, respect! I can relate to that.
> >
> > Regarding overblows, I think you'll find they're definitely here to stay.
> Maybe some day you'll feel the desire to check out the possibilities that
> they offer. I'm not a real overblow specialist myself but I learned the
> technique from a friend in the mid 80s (pre-Levy) and use the OB notes as
> standard choices in a wide range of styles where they make sense. It's just
> a playing technique, the only thing that has any significance is what you do
> with it. There's been a lot of hype surrounding OBs in the past and that has
> certainly led some to see the technique itself as some kind of holy grail,
> but an increasing number of players simply work it into their music. It
> doesn't have to be a big deal.
> >
> > Traditional blues harmonica is probably the most popular musical genre
> among readers of harp-l, so I don't really understand why you see yourself
> as belonging to a minority. Personally I would say that although I worship
> Little Walter, who was probablythe greatest single (harmonica) influence on
> my playing, I've never really tried to emulate him. I just borrowed his
> ideas whenever they fitted the music I was playing, which is what Walter did
> with the horn players he was listening to in the early 1950s,
> >
> > Steve Baker
> > www.stevebaker.de
> > www.bluesculture.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>


-- 
-Just Finished: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
-Currently Reading: Nothing, tomorrow going to pick up Brave New World, only
a $1.50!!!
-Currently Writing: "Chastity's Lief Harmonica."