Re: [Harp-L] Re: Overblows in the blues (and anywhere else for that matter)

[icemanle@xxxxxxx]

 hmmm, sounds exactly like the noise I made when learning how to bend the 2 hole inhale......


 mastering overblows takes a lot of practice, including some of the less pleasant kind of practice where you make annoying noises rather than anything even vaguely musical.

 

 


 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon, Feb 22, 2010 7:23 pm
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Overblows in the blues (and anywhere else for that matter)


People have been getting tetchy again about whether overblows are good or not so good. "Good" seems to mean sufficiently stable in tone, pitch, volume and timbre to be usable musically. As Buddha points out, some players clearly can do this, at least to my ears. However, mastering overblows takes a lot of practice, including some of the less pleasant kind of practice where you make annoying noises rather than anything even vaguely musical. Also, it requires a tweaked, or even customised harp. I am learning overblows out of interest, but I prefer the other route to being able to play chromatically on a diatonic, which is to use valved harps. Please do not reply telling me how expensive they are, because they are buttons compared to, say, a custom tube amp. I use XB-40s and Suzuki MR350 valved. When I started trying them I preferred the Suzuki's but I now prefer the XB-40s. They take a bit more practice to get used to the larger size and to hitting the bends properly. I think these are the way forwards for the less patient or dedicated intermediate player. Of course in the lips of beginners they could be aural torment as everything can be bent even when it should not be. 
 
Richard 
 
Richard Hammersley 
Grantshouse, Scottish Borders 
http://www.last.fm/music/Richard+Hammersley 
http://www.myspace.com/rhammersley 
http://www.myspace.com/magpiesittingdown