Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Allegedly rubbish?/OB'ing

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Richard Hammersley writes: (snipped)...
 
"but  
overblows are not the beginning and end of everything.  Moreover, the  
airtight set up for overblows affects other aspect of  tone in my  
(limited) personal experience and, listening to the great  overblowers,  
I can hear that their tone is limited in certain ways  too, because of  
the constraints of playing. Overblow is sort of like  traditional jazz  
guitar - even flowing tone and technique, horn like  sound. A less  
'tight' harp can give wilder tonality, more like rock  guitar."
 
**Eliz:   Actually, Richard...I agree quite a bit with this  statement...of 
course depending on 'which' overblower you mean...there are as  many and their 
'tone' is as varied as are the players  ;)

"Yes,  despite his often wild playing, I think this applies even to  
Jason  Ricci, yes and to Howard Levy also. Excommunicate me now guys."
 
**Eliz: No 'excommunication' here: not everyone likes to hear or  do OB's. My 
friend SmoJoe is one of them, and I love his playing and style.  While I was 
blown away by Howard (having heard him in person a couple of  times)..and am a 
huge fan of Jason's, who is, in addition a close  friend...what I think you 
just might be missing about either's 'tone' is  that I'm not sure you've had 
the chance to experience their playing in  person...or been present at a show 
put on by Jason Ricci in particular?   His shows are brilliant and simply not 
caught (so far) on a single videotape  I've seen...much is lost in the 
translation...
 
NONE of the YouTube videos (filmed by other people and constrained  
sound-wise by the videocameras' recording abilities), can possibly do  justice to the 
sound and tone achieved Live by these guys.  Smo Joe wrote  an incredible 
review (which is in the archives) of his first  Live Jason Ricci show where he 
could barely contain his enthusiasm, quite  unlike his usual personna...he was 
blown out of his socks by what he heard and  witnessed ...and this is someone who 
also does not hold for 'dissonance'...who  wants to hear 'seamlessness' in an 
OB.
 
So too, to the OB'ing I've heard at the late-night Blues Jams at a SPAH  
convention.  One actually has to be there in a room with 20 to 40 amazing  
players...Chris Michalek, Jimmy Gordon, Warren Bee among them (and all the  others 
simply too good and too numerous to mention who play 'the high  notes')...who 
can make miraculous things happen when they OB/OD...
 
...have you heard any of Christelle's  playing, yet? I find her  extremely 
tone-ful and melodious, and yes...almost completely seamless too with  her 
OB'ing....
 
Yet I'm one who loves the chromatic mostly, prefers clean natural notes and  
quite dislikes dissonance.  So it really all depends on the player and what  
I'm hearing directly from them.  I've cringed when self-promoting  teachers and 
 Overblowers play what they refer to as 'seamless' music,  finding it 
anything but. I truly wish you could hear one of the really  good overblowers in 
person during one of their shows as I've been privileged  to.  Not that it would 
automatically change your mind (we're all  entitled to our opinions)...but at 
least then you'd be coming a position of  really having 'heard' the player Live 
in the right environment. It can make all  the difference in the world.


" Is it  
better to begin to learn keyboards on a concert grand  piano, or on a  
basic electronic keyboard? It is far easier to get  something out of  
the latter to begin with."
 
**Eliz: You're right. This is an easy one.  IF one plans to play  keyboard 
throughout their career...then learn on a keyboard with all of its  bells, 
whistles and ability to sound like an electric piano, organ or any one of  a myriad 
of other sounds.  IF one wants to be a classical  pianist, then learn on any 
88 key piano. It certainly doesn't need to be a  Concert Grand of course...any 
upright piano will suffice.  I don't know  many people who own or would/could 
ever fit a Concert Grand into their  homes...even my brother's baby grand 
sits unused for the most part (unless I'm  visiting), while my own wonderful 
keyboard is in use a great deal of the time,  so completely agree with you that 
it's the far more practical (and to me,  fun) instrument. I built an 
office/music room onto my home with the  original plan to get a baby grand I couldn't 
otherwise fit (away from my cats)  then decided against it because my keyboard is 
just that much more fun and I'm  reluctant to give up the space any big piano 
will take up.
 
When the jazz/standard pianist/accompanists for the last 9 conventions  I've 
attended all brought keyboards with them...it told me all I wanted to  know..
 
Elizabeth


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