Re: [Harp-L] "Howard's F# Blues" getting airplay and overbending question

[michael rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bill,
There are some diatonic overblowers who strive to play in any key on a
single C harp (or other key harp).

Most, Howard included, strive to be able to do this in order to find
which scales lay out well in which positions and then use multiple
harps to play these scales in different keys.  For example, the C
major scale is easy to play on a C major harp.  This really means the
1st position major scale is easy to play on any harp.  Now that the
player has discovered that, he would choose a D harp to play in D
major.  He would move his mouth the same way he did to play in C major
on a C harp but the harp would sound like the D major scale.  The same
thing goes for other positions.  A player may discover that the F#
major scale is difficult on a C harp.  That means the G# major scale
is difficult on a D harp.  You could call this seventh position.
However, the player may then discover that the F# Harmonic Minor scale
is easy on a C harp.  It is the same key, but the notes in the scale
are different.  That player could then play the G# harmonic Minor
easily on a D harp.  So 7th position major may be difficult, but 7th
position harmonic minor is easy.  By learning to play in any key, any
type of scale on a single harp, the player discovers which scales work
well with which position and when a song is played where that scale
would sound good, the player chooses the harp where that position
produces that key.

If that is unclear, let me know and I will try again.

I find I like the sound of lower keyed harps for overblowing, whether
or not they are easier.  The sound is more important for me than the
ease of playing.

There are many methods to reading music, but most written music is
easiest to read on a C harp.  In order to read music on any other
harp, the harp player must either really know the new harp's note
layout well or have a transposition method.
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com

On Thu, Jul 1, 2010 at 12:43 PM,  <william.lifford@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Just heard Howard Levy's "Howard's F# Blues" on XM's Real Jazz channel 70...  his playing is truly remarkable, both on piano and harmonica (though the harmonica should have been louder in the mix).  The DJ said he has a new album coming out.
>
> This made me wonder a few things, especially since I don't know about music theory or how to overbend at all:
>
> Do accomplished overbenders still use different key harmonicas, or is it the main goal  to use only C harps?  I imagine if you can play in all twelve keys on a C harmonica, then you could also do the same on any harmonica, regardless of key -- but I have always heard people describe Howard's abilities as "he can play in all twelve keys on a regular C diatonic harmonica." Do lower or higher pitched harps overblow better?  Does the way music is written make it simpler to play chromatically on any particular key harmonica?
>
> Just curious,
>
> Bill
> Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
>