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

[Gary Lehmann]

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
>> > >> >
>> > >>
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>>
>