RE: [Harp-L] Re: Overblows in the blues - check this out

[Jérôme P. <peyrelevade@xxxxxxx>]

To illustrate this, you can listen to Sebastien's Michael Brecker example on
his website (here : http://www.sebcharlier.com/goodies.php) on which he
plays in all 12 keys (with no electronics), and also on his CD Precious
Time, you can listen to the track "First Step" (or buy just this one online)
: it is I think one of his best solo ever, and I guess he plays it in many
different keys, C#, AMaj, Ebm, Gm, ... 
I don't see how you can guess which harp he is using whereas there are more
bent and OB notes than natural ones...


-----Message d'origine-----
De : harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] De la part
de Jérôme P.
Envoyé : lundi 15 février 2010 17:25
À : 'Jonathan Ross'; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Objet : RE: [Harp-L] Re: Overblows in the blues - check this out

Hello Jonathan,

Playing a given note or playing a created note are two different things, I
agree.
But I confirm that I play overblows and bent notes in exactly the same
position of mouth, tongue, ... the only thing which differs is that in a
case I blow and in another case I draw.
This has been confirmed to me by some other "overblowers".
I can assure you that when done correctly, you can't distinguish an overblow
from a bent note, apart if the player decides to play on particular effects
available on each type of note.
Here again, I'll send you back to Sebastien Charlier (www.sebcharlier.com),
because I think he is the only player who plays so indistinctively in
different keys that most of the time you wouldn't guess which harmonica he
is using, which proves that tone is not a problem when playing OBs and ODs.

It brings me to another consideration : even if you can play notes the same
way with the same tone, I agree with you : all this is a false problem as
you'll usually try to bring effects on each note, whether it is a given
note, a bent note or an overblow. 
The funny point is that in my case, the most difficult at the end is not to
make a bent note or an overblown or overdrawn note sound with a profound
tone, but a blow note, on which I can do less effects.
By the way, I prefer the tone of my 2 draw than the one of my 6 blow ...
that doesn't prevent me from playing intensively the 6 blow on any kind of
music (fortunately).

I know all this is a bit of a sterile debate, but if I can at least convince
some of you that you can overblow the same way you bend, I'm pretty sure it
should be of good help for the ones interested in using the blues harp as a
chromatic instrument.

Best regards,

Jerome
www.youtube.com/JersiMuse



-----Message d'origine-----
De : harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] De la part
de Jonathan Ross
Envoyé : lundi 15 février 2010 14:57
À : harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Objet : [Harp-L] Re: Overblows in the blues - check this out

Jerome writes in regards to overblows and tone:

"Doing the same thing in the same position, you can have of course  
exactly
the same tone."


Except you aren't "doing the same thing".  When you bend a note,  
overblow a note or are playing the given notes you are doing three  
different things and there are noticeable tonal differences between  
the three.  Indeed, not only are you doing something different with  
your oral cavity to play these three types of notes, the reeds  
themselves are behaving in three different ways.  That's why you can  
tell just by listening to a record what notes are bends, what are  
given notes and what are overblows.

Note, this difference is not a bad thing per se, the exploitation of  
the tonal difference between bent notes and given notes is a defining  
feature of blues harmonica, for example.  And, there are two things I  
am differentiating here: personal tone (which tends to be  
recognizable across technique) and timbral differences between  
techniques as outlined above.




JR Ross