I can bend a note down but never tried to over blow. How is this done and what is the range a note can be raised doing this. I have heard many players say they do not use them but I/M/O to be a complete player knowing how to do this is necessary, When I whistle and bend the tone down its no different than a bend. I can lower the pitch of a a note while whistling and it seems exactly the way I bend down a harp note. I can raise a note whistling but its very small and it seems a slight rise in the tip of the tongue is the key but I am not sure if this applies to a a harp. Any help would be appreciated.
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Hi Scott,
I’ve been overblowing for about 20 years. I also felt the harmonica was incomplete without them.
The controversy around them has mostly gone away. At the end of the day it’s 8 notes total. There isn’t another instrument where those notes are controversial; nobody would say thinks like “I love playing piano, but man those guys who play Eb’s are just terrible.”
On a c harp, the notes you get are low Eb, Eb, Gb, Bb, high C#, an additional F,
High Ab, and high high C#.
I have some “how to” overblow links I can share later. In the meantime, generally you’ll have an easier time if you can already play highly controlled blow bends.
By this, I mean: you can slowly bend down a blow note in hike 8,9 and 10 all the way down, very, very slowly, and slowly release the bend. You are looking for a continuously sliding pitch. This type of air stream control is the key to good sounding overblows.
Next, it really helps to have a harp that is well set up. Get a custom set up, or buy an Assassin Pro or Bushman John Lee Steelie. I hear Arika does this too but I have not tried.
Or, gap the reeds yourself. Look up a gapping video. Then set the gap on 4,5, and 6 so that it is as tight as possible yet still plays a medium volume note. Be aware this is a bit of a skill and it’s fiddly. But anyone can do it provided you invest the time and keep at it. But, by gapping yourself, you’ll often wonder, “is it me or did I set it up wrong?”
I’ll share links later for getting the overblow.
Once you can get the overblow, I have a lot to say about how to make them sound good, but we can save that for later.
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Thanks
I have every harp set up by HARPSMITH and he my not be the cheapest but he is the best I have used. My gaps are as close as I can get them. Bending down a note is not a problem. If you have to go from another note very quickly how do you get the desired note with an over blow ? I can bend the notes down and am trying to get a bend to sound solid and augment the tune. Its one thing to bend a note and and another to consistently play them well. I whistled for years and wish I knew had been bending a note down while inhaling. Same principal of drawing the tongue back. I never though about it until a dove was easting grain on my deck and I whistled his call back and realized the tongue reposition is identical to bending down a note Wish I knew this at the get go.
I look forward to your additional post. I can bend the left side ok but it will take a few years to bend notes correctly. Hopefully its no more difficult than hitting the second step on a -3 consistently and quickly as the sweet spot is small. I understand the concept of a standard bend and suspect its the same for the over blows but its the technique that I need to understand for the over blow.
Thanks again for the replay.
Scott
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Getting overblows and regular bends in-tune are equal difficulty.
Which to say neither are easy, and now you have more of them.
As for the question, I’m not sure what you mean. But it sounds like you are asking how to make them blend in without sounding odd when moving in and out of them, including leaps.
The short answer is systematic practice. Basically you need to drill the hell out of each one… drill the movement from each note nearby to the overblow and away to another note. As you do this, work to make the regular note and the overblow sound as similar as possible.
The long answer is very, very long. But in it,:
Learn how to bend them. Not just for intonation, but so that you can control.
Learn chromaticism.
If improvising, mainly use overblows on upbeats and weak beats.
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Thanks. I know well it takes years to really get to the level all notes can be used and played well. I was referring to your description slowly bending down and then releasing the bend. I read some today and the author said a good way to get the over blow is to bend a note down and the reverse the flow form inhale to exhale. I did this and got a couple but the sweet spot seems to be very small on the higher notes. I use a C A tuner to see if the desired and got a couple but it was in no way consistent. If it were easy really good players would be common but like anything else worth doing you put your time in and never give up. If I have to play a*2 bend and then a *3 bend I just slide the harp from the first bend to the second. I was referring to your description as you play the 8 through 10 very slowly. I suspect this would apply if you wanted to slide the note down slowly and then release it with the overblow sliding into the desired level of the the bend. Your point on gapping is well taken. I use a great tech but also use a 10x loop to make sure each reed is correct. I like slower play but with only two years I have a long road ahead.
I gap my reeds so that they are as close as possible to play a note with little pressure as and the harp responds quickly.
Thanks for your help. I practice about two hours a day and play tunes that require me to move around the harp quickly. If I have the knack I feel after five years my play well be decent. Help from people like you will speed things up and help me avoid grooving a bad habit. Learning how things like an over blow are done right is my first goal and the rest is practice. Bending is now getting better but like the rest will take years to really be able to play them well and consistently,
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I bend with the front of my tongue, and overblow by bringing the back of my tongue up to the roof of my mouth and blowing.
You almost want to make the back half of your tongue make a ‘U’ shape, with the side of the ‘U’ touching the roof of your mouth.
Make sure you use a harp that has been gapped tightly, and is not a Lee Oscar. I learned on a Seydel Steel, and only really can overblow the 6 hole. Gapping is fiddly, and I never got holes 1, 4, and 5 set right.
Some songs like bright lights big city (Jimmy Reed) require them. He is my favorite blues player so I was inspired to learn… I watched Sandy Weltman on You tube he has a great tutorial. I have the best luck with my A harp. I can do a few on my Bb as well. I liken it to when you blow over the top of a pop bottle except my embrochure is closed over the note, I dont know if that makes any sense. Wish I could be of more help.
I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Todd Parrott if you want to learn how to overblow on the harmonica. I learned how to properly overblow from him and he does a lot of advanced stuff with overblows and overdraws (the same concept as an overblow, but on the higher end draw notes), plus he can also bend them upwards.
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Todd’s fantastic, I also recommend.
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Thanks I was practicing and heard a dove cooing on my deck. I can whistle in and out. I situate my tongue exactly like I bend down a note and then have to raise the pitch. I always whistled but quite for several years. It occurred to me it is no different than playing a harp. I focused on what I had ben doing for decades to raise the tone higher, placed a harp in my mouth and raising the pitch and tried paid close attention to how I did it to while whistling. Turned on my C A 2 and had been doing just what you said. Never occurred to me until I started playing the harp. I did this for decades but never thought to try this with a harp. It is a small sweet spot, especially on the blow to raise the pitch. It worked but I have to work on raising a harp note consistently. Only wish I realized bending a harp note up and down was exactly the same. It would have saved much frustration and time. Its all practice from now. Thanks for your help. It is noted and appreciated.
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Good one @Hogie.Harmonica!
Todd Parrott told me if I want to over-blow with the kind of expressiveness he has when using them, I should buy a $250+ Joe Spiers harp. I did, and then over the last couple years Ive bought like 7 more! Never regretted it! (Otherwise you’ll always wonder, “is it me or the harp?”)
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