[Harp-L] The New Golden Melody and Overblow Harps from the factory

[Arthur Jennings]

Well said!

> On Feb 27, 2023, at 9:50 AM, John Kerkhoven <soulodancer at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> I am enjoying this thread. Great to hear from different perspectives. I
> forget where I heard it, but I have taken to heart the idea that a harp is
> not "set up for overblows" - it is either well set up or not. If it is well
> set up, it will play overblows. And it can be played hard. I have custom
> harps that fit this bill, and I have taken the time and trouble to learn
> how to set up harps that do both.
> 
> Hohner MB Deluxes and Crossovers are overblow-friendly out of the box.
> Seydel 1847s too. I am greatly satisfied with the quality of
> top-of-the-line harps we can buy these days.
> 
> One could argue that the big manufacturers could have a dedicated team or
> department to satisfy the high-end demands of some players. But we have
> access to customizers who do that work. And the resources are there --
> tools and parts and information -- to learn to do the mods oneself.
> 
> I wish Hohner all the best with the new GM. I'm glad to know there is
> another decent harmonica available on the market.
> 
> On a side-note, while overblowing has become a standard technique for
> advanced players, there is also the world of alternate tunings that someone
> like Brendan Power has devoted countless hours to exploring, not just for
> the sake of note layout (as with the Paddy Richter) but for the sake of
> exploiting the double-reed bending properties of the harmonica. What we, as
> players, need are robust instruments that we can adapt to our interests and
> preferences. And it seems to me that we have that.
> 
> John