VALVES VS OVERBLOWING

[Winslow Yerxa <76450.3230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TO: INTERNET:HARP-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mike Curtis writes:

>> But even the discoverer of overblows and perhaps their most fervent
>> proponent Howard Levy, in his video, states that some are usable only as
>> passing tones.  I'm not interested in something that can be perfected into
>> a minimal squeak with a lot of practice when I can have quality sound
>> instead.

Howard is wrong about the passing tones. That's the limitation of
Howard's individual overblow technique, which - dare I say it -
is only middling (it's only one small part of a package of
musical abilities which, in aggregate, are quite amazing). I'm
far from being the best overblower in the world, but I've played
a sustained overblow for Howard and favorably surprised him with
it. I have noticed that he hits his overblows timidly and jumps
away from them quickly. In fact, you can get a full-bodied,
resonant tone from a sustained overblow if you approach it with
relaxed discretion.

By the way, Howard discovered overblows for himself, but was not
the first. Overblowing was first recorded in 1929, and was
recorded again around 1970 by both Toots Thielemans and by Will
Scarlett - Will taught me the technique in 1974 in a room full of
people who seemed amazed that I'd never heard of it. But then
you'd know this if you read HIP No. 4.

Winslow Yerxa
Harmonica Information Press
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