Re: [Harp-L] Valving vs. Overblowing/Overdrawing

[philharpn@xxxxxxx]

This topic is getting rather long.

Here's the short answer.

Anybody who can blow bend (a la Jimmy Reed) the top notes on a standard 
richter diatonic 8 9 and 10 can get blow bends on a half-valved Suzuki 
or Seydel with the same amount of effort. In addition, you don't need 
to use a low pitched harp -- A or G -- to manage these 1-6 blow bends. 
Sure they take a little finesse, but then so does all bending if you 
hit them on pitch.

Granted, bending has always been a trombone technique -- between the 
notes on pitch is a minefield of noise.

The other thing is that valved bends occur where richter players expect 
them: Want Eb, blow bend the E (hole 2 on C harp).

Overblow for Eb is blow 1 (overblow the C to Eb -- now there's logic 
for you).

If you doubt how easy IT is to blow bend on a half-valved harp, try 
some blow bends on a chromatic-- it's the same technique.

My theory is that if you get two people who don't overblow and don't 
valve bend, the valve bender will  be learning tunes while the 
overblower is trying to learn his/her first overblow.

hope this helps clear up matters.

Phil