Re: [Harp-L] Overblow intonation

["Alec" <alec@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

That's the real trick with overblows - trying to get them 
in tune. For most players, the overblow naturally pops in 
quite a bit flat and then you have to humor it up. I can 
play a 6 hole overblow and then bend it up in pitch a full 
semitone (maybe a bit more on a really well gapped harp). 
I still struggle a bit at times to nail the overblow spot 
on without having to slide into it, but I'm getting better 
at it all the time and probably hit them in tune more 
often then not, now. There are others who are much better 
at this, though. Chris Michalek, Rosco, and Allen Holmes, 
to name a few, can bend overblows up several semitones, 
and can hit them spot on most of the time. Of course, 
Howard Levy is not too shabby, either.

Overblowing techinique has come a long way in the past 
several years. It's been my experience that on the rare 
occasion that you hear a sour note by one of these elite 
players, it is usually a standard bend (like a 3 draw 
whole step bend) and that these guys tend to play 
overblows in tune (or perhaps slightly sharp).

Afterall, better sharp than out of tune, right?

Alec

P.S. - a good way to practice bending overblows up is with 
the coverplates off pressing on the blow reed with your 
finger.

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 21:38:42 -0500


> But during the preconcert talk, got a question about if 
> I play diatonic with overblows and what I thought about 
> it.  I said that I was unable to play the overblows in 
> tune and therefore found the diatonic not appropriate for 
> the concerti I play since intonation is such a big part 
> of classical music.  Also, I mentioned that the concerti 
> I play were written for chromatic which makes them 
> unplayable on the diatonic.
>
> The best I can do on say a hole 6 blow bend if the harp 
> is tuned to 442 is about 430 calibrated.  That makes the 
> note so flat as to be unacceptable in the classical 
> context.  Now I don't know about jazz, but in classical 
> music if you play that flat it sounds like a clam.  Is 
> there any way to blow this in tune, because I sure can't?
>
> Harmonically yours,
>
> Robert Bonfiglio
>
>
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