Re: overblows, was Same Old Thing

["Mike Curtis" <ironmancurtis@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: <Gatorharp@xxxxxxx>

> levy addressed this...he said that one goal was to be able to play every
note
> as similar to all the other notes as possible, with as little coloration
as
> possible.  he also pointed out that overbends (and traditional bends) ~do~
> sound different from unbent notes, and you should also strive to be able
exploit
> these differences.
> the goal is to control the technique, not have the technique control you.
> easier typed that done.

Yup.  The bottom line is, WE (not the harp) want to be the one who dictates
whether they sound the same or different.  Or as you well expressed it,
"Control the technique, don't let the technique control you".

So (assuming of course that this is our goal) we need to work on our overall
timbre, be it to make things the same or to effectively exploit differences.

It's easy to throw in the towel and accept that these things sound
different - and even to make use of them in our playing (just as we may use
chugs, growls, and other things that well may have had their beginnings as
clams), and just let it go at that.  It's quite difficult to get unbent
notes, normal bends (many of which inherently sound different, for example,
the three bends on 3D), and overblows (or in my case, valved bends) to sound
undistractingly alike.  For some, I imagine this is not terribly important.
For me and my musical goals, it's VERY important.

 -- mike