Re: [Harp-L] The Ashby Method for Overbending

[Rick Dempster <rickdempster33@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dunno if this will be any help. At the risk (let's say certainty) of
repeating myself (been on & off the L since about '95 or '96) I discovered
single reed bends (ie 'overbending) on my ownsome in about '79-'80. Hadn't
heard Levy. Had only heard Blues Birdheads one note (blow 6 bend)
without being able to work out how he got it.
I was fascinated by the way Charlie McCoy got a note-less puff of air,
before a pitch-perfect bend (ie he wasn't slurring into it)
I also noticed the way tenor sax man Ben Webster did the same thing, and,
from another side of music, Tammy Wynette, with her voice.
I was also hard at it imitating Gwen Foster, with his fast trills, either
tongue-switching, and most relevant to 'overbendin', fast trills going from
bent to unbent, particularly
on the top three holes.
These things, particularly the harp examples, are closely related to
overbending.
In the case of the McCoy approach to hitting the straight bend, the attack
required mirrors the attack required for an overbend.
In the case of Foster, it is a straight switch from playing the blow reed
to the blown pitch of the draw reed, which is what an overbend is.
How did I come up with the idea to 'overbend'?
Well, it struck me that the effect McCoy created - the 'dead air', followed
by the perfect bend, closely resembled what happened when I
hit a blow note in the middle of the harp, TOO HARD; ie Nothing! except a
rush of air.
So I started wondering if there wasn't a hidden note to be found in there
somewhere, just like when you went for a hard bent note, straight to pitch
(and in particular,on hole three, which is easy to  'jam' on the draw)
I amplified the harp to hear any overtones (which I thought maybe I could
hear anyway) and proceeded to blow the unbendable blow notes,
DELIBERATELY TRYING TO STOP THEM FROM PLAYING. The mouth shape was the same
as for blow bending the top notes, and especially for doing the
Gwen Foster trills, but just larger.
Anyhow, to make a long story even longer, I found the missing notes. I also
found that some harps did it easier than others, but was a long way
off learning about gapping etc. I was delighted that I could play things
like 'Up Lazy River' - my test piece, as I knew it had all 12 tones.
Now there's people doing it a lot better than I can, and they are welcome
to it. Dunno how cats like Levy and Flip Jers can make it sound so good.
I think you probably need to start young, particularly if you really want
to use it for playing changes, and not just the odd bluesey effect.
I think the mouth shape (OK 'embouchure' if you will) is pretty different
to an old school player, particularly a frequent tongue-blocker like
Your's truly,
RD


On 3 November 2014 17:13, Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> > On Nov 2, 2014, at 6:33 PM, Michelle LeFree <
> mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > I'm surprised that Vern Smith or Steve Baker haven't said somethingâ..
>
> I rarely comment on bending.  I donât play diatonic and my attempts at
> bending sound like a creature in pain. I wish it were otherwise.
>
> I have thought about trying to learn but I find the challenge of making
> music with the Hands-Free-Chromatic and guitar to be a more rewarding use
> of limited time.
>
> Vern
>
> >
> >
>
>
>
>