[Harp-L] Question about doing overblow

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chen John;
                  It's like the old gag about the tourist asking the
hipster how to get to Carnegie Hall: "Practise, Man!".
The only thing I can say is make sure you know what you are shooting
for. Remember that when you overbend, you are playing the opposite reed,
and it will play a semitone higher than its natural pitch. Hence hole 7
overdraw will play the blow C reed ('C' harp is the only language I will
speak!)taking it to C#; same as draw bend four or draw bend one.
In fact, if you drawbend hole one to C# (or Db if you like) then the
same at hole four, then do exactly the same thing at hole seven (and
then hole ten if you're game) all in smooth succession, you might very
well hit it.
If you can't hear the note, it's going to be a lot harder to get it.
Sing it, whistle it, play it on hole one, or four, play it on a guitar
or whatever, Just make sure you can hear it.
Overdrawing on eight will only give you an F, which you've got
naturally on draw nine. The overdraw on nine is Ab, same as six draw
bend and on ten, an incredible C#.
I only hope its all worth it. I get a great kick out of playing
chromatically on the diatonic, but like Richard Hunter, I am not
convinced of the aesthetics. Not yet anyway. The overbends still sound
pretty ugly to me, yet I'm alwaysl fascinated by it.
Good luck,
Rick Dempster
PS. For any fellow Melbournians, the quickest (and by far the easiest)
way to Carnegie Hall is on the number 67 tram.