Re: Re: [Harp-L] Re: OB's

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael Peloquin wrote:
> How many of those great players that eschew OBs do so 
> out of laziness, unwarranted fear, traditional integrity 
> or some other weird reason? I can't understand why a great 
> player would not want to utilize all of the notes that are 
> available on their instrument.

I can speak only for myself in this regard, and I'm no "great 
player".  I was "comfortable" with my own playing, as I had been for 
years.  I was sure I was a pretty good player, and didn't see any 
reason to change.  It was only when I saw people doing things I 
wanted to be able to do -- finding those notes I had been missing 
all those years -- that I got inspired to really do it.  
Interestingly, Howard Levy wasn't an inspiration to me, because I 
don't want to play that kind of music.  I have to say it was really 
George Brooks who first opened my eyes.  And I'd guess that George 
was a little out of his preferred element at the SPAH blues jam in 
Columbus in 2002.  

When I started aspiring to integrate overblows into my playing there 
were lots of challenges.  In the end, it changed everything, which 
isn't where I thought I was going when I started.  I even ended up 
building myself entire new sets of harps, or modifying existing sets 
as I developed technique.  It became hard to play my old harps 
because they wouldn't do the things I came to expect.  At one point, 
I ended up with only two harps I could play, and about 200 that I 
couldn't (or didn't want to).  It pushed the envelope of my harp 
building too.  

-tim

Tim Moyer
Working Man's Harps
http://www.workingmansharps.com/