[Harp-L] Re: best key for overbends

["Jonathan Metts" <jonathan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm no expert overbender, but maybe that's better since I can actually remember getting my first one, unlike some of these old pros.

I think the easiest keys for starting overbending are the medium-pitched keys.  C is about the highest pitched harp I would start at, and even that's probably too high.  If the harp is too high pitched, the OBs are extremely sensitive and hard to approach for a beginner.  If the harp is too low pitched, the OBs are easy to sound but the first reed is too hard to choke, because it will require a ton of air (because low pitched harps tend to leak more air, in my experience, regardless of gapping).  So you want a harp that is pitched low but is easy for you to play in the middle, holes 4-7.  For me, the revelation came on an A harp, and then D and E and B followed, with some success on the G and C eventually.  I still cannot consistently OB on my F harp; it's just too sensitive.  Of course, the quality and setup of your harp is just as or more important to your success than the key you start on.  I have found that most Hohner harps can be OBed out of the box on at least one hole and often more, so go with that brand if you're not ready to do your own gapping work.  Anyway, I hope this stuff makes sense and is not too far off the mark of being good advice.

On this subject...is there any kind of chart or other way to know which harp keys are pitched higher and lower than others?  There's probably a pattern for it on the Circle of Fifths, but I've never been able to pick it out.

Jonathan Metts