Re: If I could do it all over...

[Roger A Gonzales <gonz1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have had discussions with several overblowers and players who do not use this technique and I have also heard many of the songs that have been attempted using the overblow technique and this one style of playing is not the only end to the means.  Bill brings up an excellent point when he stated the use of special tuned harps and a chromatic.  I know that is a dirty word to the overblow purists out there but after hearing the intonation and articulation that is attempted and sometimes not achieved, as far as using the overblow technique and having nothing else in one's arsenal, I am not buying it.  

Being a student of harmonica master Eddie Gordon for 13 years has opened my eyes to the possibilities using diatonics and chromatics in one's "bag of tricks" as Norton Buffalo calls it.  Why does Tommy Morgan carry a suitcase of harmonicas with him?  The right harmonica for the right job.  

If you are going to be a professional or just playing for personal enjoyment, learning to play the harmonica is what your final goal should be and not trying to prove that you are able to play something difficult in an overblow style and then getting it wrong.  If you are ever in a situation that you are playing with other musicians who are all in tune and are achieving correct intonation and you are not, they will thank you for your time and send you on your way.  And at the same time they will think twice about letting harmonica players sit in with their band again.  I have seen this happen too many times at too many jam sessions.  

The overblow technique is something that is here to stay and SHOULD be added to one's abilities but it is not, and shouldn`t be thought of as the only way and certainly not the best way to play a particular song because of the potential to be "more expressive." Come on! Give me a frickin' break!!!!
If anyone thinks the overblow technique is the only way to be more expressive, think again.  Go and listen to Toots and Paul deLay and tell me about being expressive.  

Overblows; add them to what you do? Yes.  Playing Chromatic; add it to what you do? Yes.  Special tuned harps; add them to what you do? Yes.  
Resigning yourself to the fact that any and all of these harps and techniques are going to take time but will be oh so worth it?  You bet!! 
Don`t put all of your musicial eggs in one basket.  Versatility is an asset not a liability.

regards and respect,
Roger Gonzales
Fresno, CA