DUDE! I’ve got a story to tell you. Something happened when I was just visting family in Colorado.
I was on YouTube searching for someone showing how Charlie Byrd plays his amazing guitar parts on the Brazilian song O Pato with Stan Getz on sax. I’m supposed to play guitar on this Brazilian gig end of month and that song in on the song list.
Well, I happened upon somebody teaching it on HARMONICA! Check it out here.
I was pretty stoked on the sound of it. Plus he’s doing it in 12th position which I haven’t played with much, and I’m having so much fun beginning to explore that position.
But I noticed at the end of the phrase there was an overblow and I was like, “Oh no. I can’t do it. I don’t know how to overblow.” And then I was like well let me just TRY. And I messed around and, boom I could do the (6)
So I haven’t gone back to learn the B section to the tune (which has more overblows) BUT I’ve been having SO MUCH FUN working on overblows.
The harp I’ve been playing and really enjoying as I work out this new technique is a Hohner Crossover in the key of A. I’ve been really enjoying playing Birdland by Weather Report, something like:
(6) -6 (6) -6 (6) -6 6 5 6 -6 (6) -6 6 5 -4 6
and Straight No Chaser by Thelonious Monk, something like:
-4 6 -6 (6) -7
-4 6 -6 (6) -7 7 (6)
and playing cool riffs in 2 octaves that I could only do in the lower octave before, like:
-1 2 -2 -3’-3 -4 5 6 (6) -7 -8 8 9
I’m having so much fun, man. 30 years playing harmonica, and all of a sudden I’m finally playing the “missing note” that I chased for so many years.
So after doing that for a couple days, I started working on the (4) and got that to pop out. Tone starting to get better on it. Sooo cool playing fun boogie boogie things in 1st position (or over the IV chord in 2nd position,) like
4 (4) 5 6 -6 (6) 6 -6 6 (4) 5 4
The (5) was the one that took me the longest to get. But I’m getting it now. I can’t sustain it and really have it sound good yet. But I can do it in a passing tone.
Woo hoo! 3 new notes. Now I can outline all the chords with hipness:
V -4 -5 (5) -6 -7 -6
IV 4 (4) 5 6 -6 6
I -2 -3’ -3 -4 5 -4
So happy to share this exciting news with you. Feels like a whole new world is opening up, and as you can probably sense, I’m having a BALL!!
Rock on,
Luke