Because I only discovered this list a few months ago I've had some 12 years of archives to read up on. All the things I didn't know were possible all came in fell swoop. As a result I've been concurrently trying overblowing, half-valving, altered tunings, etc. While this has been great fun I soon want to decide which path to pursue permanently.
Although uncommitted I'm leaning toward half valving. I like its expressive possibilities and think I could get a handle on controlling the bends. There don't seem to be a lot of players using valves, at least in comparison to the number of overblowers. Why is this?
I've had success with overblow but those overdraws don't seem to hold out much promise for me. The reeds seem real finicky and getting the note to sound is hit and miss at best. (As a side note for those also having this difficulty; try using a spiral tuning where the blow note is always the lower pitch in any hole. With this set up I could overblow all ten holes. Of course this tuning presents its own peculiarities).
Anyway, I'd to hear from folks who've tried both approaches. Strong opinions are welcome but you should have at least given each method an honest try. Ultimately I know it's whatever suits me best but I'm just lookin for a feedback about benefits and obstacles you've encountered with each.
Thanks in advance,
Paul B.
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