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

[Greg Hommert <hommertg@xxxxxxxxx>]

Just found this thread and thought I might chip a word in.

Bill,
Howard (according to Howard) prefers a G harmonica as it was the first key
he owned and also what he learned to read music with (this may be subject to
change as when I was 16 and he was in Kansas City giving a SPAH seminar he
claimed the A harmonica was his favorite/comfortable key). The way you've
heard Howards technical prowess summarized as "he can play in all
twelve..."is,  I can assure you, just that; a summary. Given that your
catalyst doesn't prefer "C harps" to begin with, I think a better question
is; "is it the main goal to use only one harmonica in any musical setting?"

Ideally; yes. However, practically; no (I think Mr Rubin explained this
approach in great length earlier). Versatility is a key asset to any
musician, however just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD
do it CONSTANTLY. There are 3 things to consider when choosing a specific
diatonic harmonica to play a given piece of music;
1) Range (how high or low does the piece go)
2) Availability of pitches (can you get the notes on the harmonica you have
chosen. This does take into account overbending/drawing)
3) Ability to produce pitches in-tune (self- explanatory)

That last one is important. It deals with the aesthetic quality of music.
Even atonal music music strives to be "in-tune."

What you PREFER to overbend/overdraw on is at this point a question of
taste. Physically you may find it slightly easier to overdraw on lower
pitched harmonicas rather than higher ones. And vice versa, mid to high
ranged harmonicas tend to be favored as "easier" for overblowing (at least
while you are learning the techniques). Try a few, you might find a
favorite.

As with reading music: the goal is to read music at sounding pitch, which
means reading music and playing the concert pitch that is written (no matter
what pitch Harmonica you are using). And unless an apropriate amount of
practice is delegated either to the piece of music, or trade skill, it will
always seem as hard as it sounds. I understand this to be difficult in many
instances as there isn't really any standard written repetoire for the
diatonic harmonica. Thus, no standard notation system exists. But keep the
above in mind I'm sure you can fidn a happy medium.
-- 
Best,
Greg
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
>