Re: [Harp-L] overbend terms

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

No videos at this point, but Page 192 in "Harmonica For Dummies" has illustrations of how opening and closing reeds work.

But let me try again in words.

A reed is mounted above a slot. Normally, your breath moves the reed into the slot, and then the reed back, completing one cycle of vibration:

-- Blow reeds are mounted inside the channel , sin the harmonica comb that directs air to the reed, so that an exhaled breath pushes the reed into the slot before springing back.

-- Draw reeds are mounted on the outside of the channel, so that an inhaled breath pulls the reed into its slot.

This is called closing reed action, because the reed swinging into the slot is like a door closing into its door frame.

Closing reeds sound pretty much the same note that they do when you pluck the reed and let it vibrate by itself. However, breath pressure seems to push the pitch down slightly from the plucked pitch.

When a reed opens, it moves away from the slot, like a door opening. If you blow to activate a draw reed, you'll push the reed away from the reedplate. Likewise, if you draw to activate a blow reed, you'll pull the reed away from its slot.

An opening reed sounds a higher pitch than a closing reed, nearly a semitone higher at its lowest, though an opening reed can be pushed up in pitch, potentially be several semitones with a well adjust reed played by a skilled player.


An isolated opening reed is what produces the notes we call overblows (played on draw reeds opening) and overdraws (played on blow reeds opening). Collectively these notes are sometimes referred to as overbends.

For instance, in Hole 6 of a C harmonica the draw reed plays A in closing mode. But by tuning your mouth and blowing, you can get the blow reed to be silent and induce the A draw reed to open and produce a B-flat - an overblow.

Likewise, in Hole 8, the blow reed usually produces an E. But by tuning your mouth and inhaling, you can get the daw reed to stay silent and induce the E blow reed to open and produce an F  - an overdraw.

Does this help?

Winslow
 
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: Robert Hale <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx> 
Cc: harp-L list <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 1:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] overbend terms
 
On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 12:27 PM, Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> First, an overbend is a general term that refers to:
> A reed moving away from its slot before springing back as a result of breath flow (opening reed action), producing a pitch higher than the pitch it produces when plucked or when sounded in the usual fashion, by moving into its slot before springing back (closing reed action).

Oh, golly! I read it three times. Winslow, I really appreciate each of
your quality posts, but I just don't comprehend this one yet. Do you
have a video on the topic?

If Overbend means something the reed does without my knowledge, that's
fine. <grin>  If it means there's a musical result that I control for
art's sake, then I need to know more.

Robert Hale
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