Re: [Harp-L] all the notes on the diatonic

[Michael Easton <diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with Richard on this one.  I wasn't sure if anyone else could  
hear the difference so I didn't bring it up.

While there are players that are  tasteful in their use of overblows  
and dead on bends to produce missing notes, that "sound" is there in  
most cases.
It's the sound of stress on the reeds which make the timbre stand out  
more then the other notes.  The players that can use even breathe  
control on
both natural and ob/bent notes stand a better chance of making the  
note sound more natural.

Surprisingly most of the harp techs  I hear use it seem to have  
better breath and pitch control then others.  Probably due to having  
ears trained to hear variations in reed
pitch and timbre when setting up  harps.

I'm not putting down any player for using them.   The sound is  just  
a byproduct of the technique.

 I'm not sure if enough emphasis is placed on articulation once a  
student
learns how to overblow,  Getting the note is only half the journey.   
IMHO, learning to sculpt the timbre of the  note to sound fluid with  
the rest of the notes is where mastery of the technique comes in.   I  
liken it to learning how to play a violin with fluidity.  If you  
can't control finger pressure and how the bow crosses the strings for  
every note,  the notes produced are going to stand out where one  
shows a lack of oneness with their instrument.

I recall reading some early harmonica players frowned on single reed  
harps because they produce bent notes too easily on them. Double  
reeds allowed them to play the melody without hitting unwanted  
notes. . Eventually single reed players learned to control and master  
the extra notes and the rest is history.

I think as more players learn to master proper articulation of  
overblows the better it can be appreciated.

mike


On Dec 17, 2005, at 11:06 PM, Richard Hunter wrote:

> "Bob Meehan" <yeehaw@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
> > Hi Everyone,
> > I'm calling BS on the guy that said that "overbends sound pathetic no
> > matter who plays them". The fact is that there are 3 full  
> > chromatic <scales on a 10 hole diatonic harp and that if you have  
> > good tone and <good intonation it is very hard for anyone to here  
> > if you are using <overblows or overdraws! It's only when learning  
> > this technique that <these "new" notes sound bad. Once mastered,  
> > they can have a very nice <timbre.
>
> Michael Peloquin wrote:
> <I didn't feel that it even warranted a respose
>
> Most of the time, I can tell when a note is overblown.  Whether or not
> they have a very nice timbre, it's often a very different timbre than
> the notes that aren't overblown.
>
> And regarding good intonation on overblows, or on regular bends for  
> that
> matter -- it's easier said than done.
>
> Regards, Richard Hunter
> hunterharp.com
>
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