[Harp-L] Will Scarlett's place in the history of overblows

Rick Dempster rickdempster33@xxxxx
Fri Feb 11 01:11:58 EST 2022


I know a bloke who but a Harley Knucklehead motor on Honda 250 frame.
Amazing, but I wouldn't care to ride it.


On Fri, 11 Feb 2022, 15:56 Gary Lehmann, <gnarlyheman at xxxxx> wrote:

> Check out Boaz Kim, his overbends are pretty robust.
>
> On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 6:59 PM Michael Rubin <
> michaelrubinharmonica at xxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Blow notes sound different than draw notes.  Bent notes sound different
>> than either of them.  Overblows sound different than all of them.
>>
>> If you want consistency of tone, pick another instrument.
>>
>> That said, there are only a few players who consistently use overblows in
>> a way that I like them.  Personally, I am not one of those players and
>> therefore tend to only overblow in situations where I must hear that
>> particular note.  My years of learning to play in all 12 keys on a diatonic
>> strengthened my understanding of music and my non overblow harp improved
>> due to that understanding, so no regrets there.
>>
>> But there are players who sound great to me and I believe in the 100th
>> Monkey concept, so one day, there will be plenty.
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 6:48 PM Gary Lehmann <gnarlyheman at xxxxx>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> OB 6 is a pretty safe bet, in a cross harp context--no one expects the
>>> blue
>>> thirds to be anything but wild (well, I don't anyway).
>>> OB 5, used a lot in 12th, is a different matter.
>>> My observance about the strange timbre of the whole step draw bend on
>>> hole
>>> 3 was answered (by a well known overblow player and Mooncat) with a quote
>>> from (I think) Paul DeLay, "Why are you trying to make the harmonica
>>> sound
>>> like anything but a harmonica?"
>>> Artifacts can be overlooked and even celebrated, the ear of the behearer
>>> you know . . .
>>>
>>> On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 6:09 PM Rick Dempster <rickdempster33 at xxxxx>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> > I just think it sounds bad. Even from the very best practitioners
>>> (Filip
>>> > Jers, to name one) it sounds out of sorts with the rest of the
>>> instrument.
>>> > I have taken up chrom over the last several years, much as I prefer the
>>> > sound of the diatonic.
>>> > Of the diatonic, I now use Sub30s with added valves. All the notes
>>> bend and
>>> > the sound is consistent, or at least as much as it can be on a regular
>>> > harp.
>>> > A single reed bend, played in it's 'conventional' direction (ie a blow
>>> red,
>>> > blown, or a draw, drawn) as on a chromatic, sounds ok, if a little
>>> thin.
>>> > A DOUBLE reed bend (ie a conventional bend) has the advantage of the
>>> > sympathetic harmonics from the opposing reed, and sounds fuller, and
>>> more
>>> > harmonically complex than the single reed.
>>> > A SINGLE reed bend, played in reverse (ie an over blow or over draw)
>>> shares
>>> > none of the advantages with the two former bend types described above,
>>> > which is why it sounds so forced and strangled.
>>> > The harmonica is a mass produced instrument that requires a lot of
>>> capital
>>> > investment.
>>> > If this technique is ever heard being used by someone of the stature
>>> of,
>>> > say, Charlie McCoy, or even Bob Dylan, then it might take off. I doubt
>>> it.
>>> > The innocent little diatonic will continue to be used and popularised
>>> > largely by singers, who will care little for being able to play 'Giant
>>> > Steps' on the tin sandwich.
>>> > Like I said some time back, it reminds me of 'Esperanto', artificially
>>> > created to make a 'universal' language.
>>> > The only place it seems to have survived is with Esperanto enthusiasts.
>>> > I think OB/OD technique will remain popular with devoted diatonic harp
>>> > players, but that's it.
>>> > I've been putting off saying this for years, but I'm getting old and
>>> have
>>> > ceased to care!
>>> > RD
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Fri, 11 Feb 2022 at 09:25, Ronnie Schreiber <
>>> autothreads at xxxxx>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >
>>> > > Rick,
>>> > > It seems to me that as a technique to allow you to play all the
>>> notes in
>>> > a
>>> > > song accurately, to find notes missing on that particular harp,
>>> > overblowing
>>> > > makes more sense than if you're using it to play a diatonic fully
>>> > > chromatically and get through a gig with a single diatonic, no
>>> matter the
>>> > > key (for the record, I like Will Scarlett's playing with Hot Tuna).
>>> > > Even Howard Levy uses different key harps for different songs so he
>>> can
>>> > > get those cool blue notes we so love.
>>> > >
>>> > > Ronnie Schreiber
>>> > > The Electric Harmonica Co.
>>> > > http://www.harmonicaster.com
>>> > >
>>> > > On 2/10/2022 5:13 PM, Rick Dempster wrote:
>>> > >
>>> > > Sorry; wasn't referring to Will Scarlett particularly. I used OBs for
>>> > > years. I think they sound awful, and ultimately will do nothing for
>>> > > diatonic harmonica.
>>> > > Just my opinion.
>>> > > RD
>>> > >
>>> > > On Fri, 11 Feb 2022, 07:02 Gary Lehmann, <gnarlyheman at xxxxx>
>>> wrote:
>>> > >
>>> > >> Will sounds funky!
>>> > >>
>>> > >> Sent from my iPhone
>>> > >>
>>> > >> > On Feb 9, 2022, at 4:46 PM, Rick Dempster <
>>> rickdempster33 at xxxxx>
>>> > >> wrote:
>>> > >> >
>>> > >> > Maybe it just took this long for people to get used to the awful
>>> > sound.
>>> > >> > RD
>>> > >> >
>>> > >>
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> >
>>>
>>


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