Yes, all these suggestions are good advice. I've learned a lot from many web sources and a few fellow harpers. I also choose to take advantage of some Harp-L experts' services with perhaps lofty expectations on a few select favorites. This week I purchased an MB brass comb, onto which I flattened and installed new Big River reed plates ( because I already had a set). I compared it to an identical factory sample and it blew the factory unit away. Let me tell you that this harp is exceeding my expectations a great deal. It overblows, overdraws and plays very easily- both quietly and loud. Next I will be doing a little reed tweaking and make a nice spalted oak cover just because. I'll be buying more great combs real soon!
Keep learning and improving, Javier, and soon you will become an expert.
Lockjaw Larry
Breathing Music daily
________________________________
From: Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Robert Rowe <robertrowe2@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Harp-L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>; "javier.dardon@xxxxxxxxx" <javier.dardon@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, August 2, 2012 7:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Oberblow beginner
All good advice no doubt. But even the best custom will play up at some
stage, so it's always best, gradually at least, to learn to work on the
reeds yourself. There is certainly enough info. around these days to make
giving it a go not that hard. My 'pocket' harp is always one I've tweaked
myself, and is forever a work in progress. For all it's shortcomings, it's
always closer to what I want than any customiser can do.
RD
On 3 August 2012 02:56, Robert Rowe <robertrowe2@xxxxxxx> wrote:
You really need to get someone like Mike Fugazzi to tweak your harp so
that it overblows and overdraws well without sticking. Alternatively, you
can buy a Suzuki Firebreath which works right out of the box. I have a G
that I've never played, and I had never even attempted an overblow, and I
overblew 4 on the very first try. 5 and 6 worked first time too, as did
overdrawing 7 and 8. I got the Peterson out and checked the pitch, and I
was pretty darned close for an absolute beginner.
Full of myself, and wondering what all the fuss was about, I tried the
same techniques on my G Crossover. I got everything from a windy zero to
barely catching the slightest instance of a pitch shift. Clearly, my
success with the Firebreath was due entirely to the harp's design.
I got my Firebreath from Ron Hobdy at rockinronsmusic4less.com. There's
also a Pureharp Suzuki with the same comb and reed plates, but with solid
rosewood covers that allegedly deepen the already dark tone of the
Firebreath.
If you have the patience, the best customizers in the world are right here
on this list.
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 2, 2012, at 12:23 PM, Javier DardÃn <javier.dardon@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Friends, I'm an overblow beginner, by the moment I'm overblowing on
holes 1 and 4 of a C Lee Oskar, but sometimes the blow reed get stuck after
the oberblow, so I can't immediately blow after the overblow. Any idea?
Any help will be welcome.
Regards
Javier DardÃn
Javier DardÃn
--
Rick Dempster
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