Re: [Harp-L] overblow terminology

[Rick Dempster <rickdempster33@xxxxxxxxx>]

While this: "overblows produce a pitch HIGHER than
the reed's designed pitch. Whereas bends, both blow and draw, pull the
pitch DOWN."  from Robert Hale, is perhaps a practical explanation (ie
that's what seems to be happening) it doesn't contribute to a proper
understanding of
the function of the reeds.
In fact, both normal bends and 'overbends' produce a higher note from the
reed.
The difference is that a bend that starts with the activating of the higher
of the pair, ends with the opposite reed
being played. So, bending draw 2 ends with blow 2 playing a semitone higher
than it's pitch.

"Over bends' are harder to achieve, because the reversed pitch of the
higher reed is not in sympathy with its paired reed.
You can always bend down a single, unpaired reed (ie like a valved reed in
a chromatic)
When you begin to bend, say, draw 2 down in pitch, the blow reed is
vibrating in sympathy, because its reverse pitch
(ie the drawn pitch of the blow reed) is within a semitone of the draw
reed. The more you bring down the draw reed, the more
the blow reed begins to vibrate, until the draw reed stalls and the blow
reed takes over, in reverse, a pitch higher than its 'natural ' pitch.

When you try to blow the draw reed, you get practically no sympathetic
vibration from the blow reed, because it's pitch is (in the case of hole 2)
a major third away from the blow reed, and any effort to lower the pitch of
the blow reed takes it even further away.
All bends are the same, but 'overbends' are harder because they are out of
sympathy with the paired reed.

I know I'm repeating myself, but it must be at least a couple of years
since the last time.
RD



On 31 May 2015 at 12:29, Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Overblows are played by blowing.
>
> Overdraws are played by drawing.
>
> The "over" part refers to the fact that both produce pitches higher than
> the plucked pitch of the reed.
>
> Seems pretty clear to me that both terms have value.
>  Winslow Yerxa
> President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the
> Harmonica
> Producer, the Harmonica Collective
> 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 Expert, bluesharmonica.com
> Instructor, Jazzschool Community Music School
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Robert Hale <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: philharpn@xxxxxxx
> Cc: "harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, May 29, 2015 12:25 PM
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] overblow terminology
>
> On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 8:10 AM, <philharpn@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> I thought the distinction was that overblows produce a pitch HIGHER than
> the reed's designed pitch. Whereas bends, both blow and draw, pull the
> pitch DOWN.
>
> I don't think OVERDRAW helps us clarify at all.
> Do we have consensus?
>
> Robert Hale
> Serious Honkage in Arizona
> youtube.com/DUKEofWAIL
> DUKEofWAIL.com
>