Re: [Harp-L] Correctly Naming a More Ordinary Blowing Technique

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

Brad;
         The rule is this: 
                                Each hole has two reeds, one pitched
higher than the other. The higher one can be bent to a semitone above
the lower one.(Some might feel obliged to add that it might go a few
microtones further, but for all practical purposes, I stand by my first
statement)
                                 Holes 5 and 7 cannot be bent to any
conventionally recognised pitch, as the two reeds in each hole are
pitched only a semitone apart anyhow. You can bend them for a 'bluesey'
effect only. (Although the blow bend on seven is something that never
sounds good to me under anmy circumstance)
                                An overblow/draw will play, with
varying degrees of inaccuracy a note a semitone above the opposing
reed;so if you overblow hole 6, it will play a note a semitone (roughly
- you need to work on your pitching) above the draw reed.
                                One way of thinking of the
overblow/draw technique, is that it plays the note that you want to
reach by conventional bending in the next hole up, but can't (ie you
might want to bend hole 7 draw down, but as it is the lower pitched reed
of the pair, it won't do it. Overblowing hole 6 will reach the desired
note, however)
                                Hole 6 is the easiest to overblow, and
the note you reach is the same as the one you get when you bend hole 2
all the way (ie a whole tone) It is without doubt the most useful of the
overbends for the blues player, as the abscence of that note in that
octave, under 'normal' playing conditions can be compromising.
                                I think it's worthwhile working on the
overbends (read overblow/draw) but I've yet to hear anything where this
technique is heavily used that convinces me that it has all the answers
to the limitations of the diatonic harmonica.
Cheers,
Rick Dempster
                               

>>> Bradford Trainham <btrainham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 16/05/2007 7:40:51 >>>
So...  If over-blowing raises the pitch... what is the name of the
ordinary technique, available to us on even the most tetanus-infested
shoddily-produced diatonic that will lower say the 5 hole anywhere
from a half to a whole step downward. 
I discovered that one a long time ago by accident, got better at it
once I realized Jimmy Reed was using it... not by accident, but I've
never known what that occultism-of-harp is called.
Brad Trainham


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