Get ready for the XB-40

[funharp@xxxxxx]

 Hi all,

it will take about 2 months till the first Hohner XB-40s will arrive
(hopefully, at least that's the latest announcement I have heard).

Instead of only waiting yearningly (?) for this new harp I thought that
it could be a good idea to be prepared as good as possible for the day
when it will be here.

Therefore I decided two months ago to start my daily practice time with
around 15 minutes of concentrating on bending-exercises. I was thinking
about the new possibilities the XB-40 will give us, and therefore I am
practicing with a valved Suzuki Promaster, a Seydel Musicmaster in the
Chafer tuning and with a "Dicscrete Comb" harmonica.

The valved Suzuki forces me to learn blow bends from channels 1-6 and
draw bends from channels 7-10; that is not possible on a regular
Richter-harp, but will be on the XB-40. Additional to this you have all
the blow and draw bends available that you know from your Richter.
The Chafer tuning gives the chance to draw bend all the channels 1-10
for a whole step like it will be on the XB-40 (with the exception of
channel three). It starts with the low E, like the lowest XB-40, and
goes up for a bit more than 3 octaves.
The "Discrete Comb" harmonica allows you to bend all the blow and draw
reeds as far as you are able to do it. I have "loaded" it with low E
reedplates, because I was thinking that the blow bends in the lower
octave would be much difficult. Now I know, that the draw bends in the
top two holes are even more difficult than the blow bends in the first
two holes.

Well, I know that all those harps are different in their bending
possibilities, or better: there is needed different techniques to play
"good" bendings with a valved harmonica or with a Discrete Comb
harmonica, there is a difference between a valved bend and an isolated
bend or a two-reed bend...and of course there will be another difference
to the XB-40: another mouthpiece and the additional reeds that will make
it possible to bend all blow and draw reeds (sorry the name is escaping
me right now; are they called the responder reeds?). Only a few players
had the chance to test the new harp, and they are telling us that it is
different to all we know now. But I think with my choice of practicing
with those three haprs I can try to imitate the possibilities of the
XB-40: blow and draw bends all over the harps, bending with valves...

Even if it will be another new experience with the XB-40, and if I will
have to learn some new things that the XB-40 requires, at least I can
say that my bending techniques have improved within the last few months
by practicing regularly...

oh, before I forget: I have used Mike Will's practice tip about using
the last digit of the date to go each day one channel further. Today is
the 29th, and I was practicing the bends on hole 9, blow and draw on the
different harmonicas...A good advice from Mike, I am hoping that some of
you follow this...

I am interested if my way of "being prepared" for the XB-40 is estimated
as usefull or not by the few people who had the chance to play this new
harp until now.

Otto