Is gapping absolutely necessary for playing overblows? I have gotten a few weak, unstable overblows, but normally they feel just out of reach. I practicing on my 6 hole on a Seydel Session Steel.
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100% yes. Though the best thing would be to buy a harp that is set up for overblows.
Learn the technique, once you are solid, then set up your other harps for overblowing.
The reason is to eliminate the âis it the harp or me?â Guesswork.
You will find people who advocate using a stock harp. Outside an Arika or Assassin, this is going to mean a large tonal difference between your regular and overblown notes.
That can work stylistically but that requires extremely advanced skills. Otherwise sounds like dying cats.
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Thank you!
If I understand it right, I just gap the reeds as close as possible to the plateâŚRight?
Pretty much. Though you donât have to do the whole blow plate. Start with hole 6. Once you have that dialed in (e.g., the 6 blow will play unless you blow hard) and you have mastered it, then do the 4 hole. Nice youâve mastered that overblow, move to the 5 hole. After you have mastered that, move into the 7 draw reed (for 7 overdraw).
Also, before bothering with this, youâll probably want to already be able to:
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play very controlled blow bends in holes 7-10. Meaning you can smoothly bend each one to its floor and back up at a consistent speed and without any âbreakâ that can happen, like suddenly the pitch moves a lot.
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quarter tone blow bend holes 4, 5, and 6
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quater tone drawbend holes 7, 9, and 10.
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Will do - This is the first time I have heard of quarter note draw bends on some of these holes.
I can blow bend 7-10 easily now, It is almost to easy to âover-flavorâ music with these other notes!
Really, I want to nail down the other blues positions on my harp. It is frustrating to only be able to play positions 2-6, and 8, and know there is more out there.
Thanks for you help @Hogie.Harmonica!
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Welcome!
Iâm curious what the music is like if you are playing in 6th and 8th position without overblows?
12th position is a great one, you can play in major and minor pentatonic without overblows. It is very similar to playing in 3rd position.
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I have run through the blues scales, which I have as:
6th POSITION: B D E F Ab A B
Low Octave: -3 -4 +5 -5 -6â -6 -7
8th POSITION: Db E Gb G Ab B Db
Low Octave: -1â +2 -2â -2 -3â -3 -4â
I really havenât âplayedâ with these positions in any serious capacity yet. I just started branching out into other positions, and discovered how much expression is in 3rd position.
My end goal is to be able to play in many keys on one harp, and possibly begin to explore jazz harmonica on diatonic. Chromatic harp is great, but really doesnât have the spice a diatonic harmonica does.
I gapped my harp this morning. Definitely helped some, but I guess my technique is atrocious. I will have to keep working on it!
Someday I need to figure out how to teach overblowing well.
I was checking through what you have, I think you made me realize Iâve never played a blues scale in 8th position before. Thanks!! Its not too tough, nailing the Gb is the tough part. Those half-step bends on the 2 and 3 hole, harder to intonate than overblows!
The 6th position blues scale you have, has an incorrect note. The Ab should be an F#.
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UmmmâŚ@Hogie.Harmonica
I am still new at this, but wouldnât the F# be a 5ob? Are the tabs I have for 6th position still ok, or are they incorrect?
Thanks for pointing this out!
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All good, just you got the wrong tab and note for the F#. It is a 5 overblow
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@Dk360 two years ago at SPAH I asked Todd Parrott how he makes over blows and overdraws sound so soulful.
He said, âoh thatâs easy. I wouldnât be able to do it. If I wasnât playing a Joe Spires custom Harmonica. You canât drive the Indy 500 in a Toyota Camry!â
I immediately went out and spent $250 on a Joe Spiers custom Harmonica and I am so glad that I did! Never have to wonder, âis it me or the Harmonica?â Plus, the thing just sounds and responds AWESOME all the way through the harp. Iâve bought many more since!