Re: [Harp-L] Re : add Don Les to overblowers list

[icemanle@xxxxxxx]

Many players discovered OB's independently over the years. It was Howard Levy that disseminated this technique through his recordings and legendary Augusta Heritage workshops. It just so happened that Howards recordings were more widely heard than Don's or any of the other OB'ers. 
 
The same pattern of discovery may be said of those that first played the diatonic harmonica in cross harp style after all those years of first positition playing. Even though the harmonica was designed to be played in 1st position, cross harp, other positions and OB were always available from day 1.
 
This is kind of a miracle, if you think about it...
 
I found OB before hearing Howard, but it sounded so bad (due to not understanding the proper technique) that I discounted this discovery.
 
There was a cassette tape made years ago by Lee Oskar called "Lee Oskar Plays Beautiful Melodies" (since then re-released on CD, I believe). I fell in love with the music and tried to play along on a diatonic harmonica. Lee used notes not found on a stock diatonic, and I spent a lot of time trying to duplicate them, finding OB in the attempt. I was heartbroken to discover, through Kitt Gamble, that Lee was using special tuned harmonicas and even switching them in the middle of a song in order to get those "missing notes". However, this experience put me on a path that lead to Howard Levy and Augusta a few years later.
 
The Iceman
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Hurrican Ramsn <party_man1@xxxxxxxxxx>


Thanks Phil , as I mentioned we would soon see more emial posts supporting the 
fact that OB's are not really that new on the harmonica scene .

The more we dig deeper the more evidense we find that there at not too many 
things new under the sun :)