harpnoodler
50 posts
Mar 11, 2009
9:50 AM
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I haven't been playing much harp for the last 2-3 weeks. Among other things, we're renovating my woodshed. Still, I do try to at least have a harp in mouth at least 5-10 min a day just to exercise the throat vibrato and try out some OBs. I had resigned myself to never playing the 1OB or any ODs, though I really wanted the 7OD.
I have noticed that even with just a few minutes a week, I now rarely miss the 6 OB on any of my harps and rarely miss the 5 OB on my gapped harps. The 4 is about 50:50. I haven't tried gapping the 7, because I could never even get the reed to choke.
But today was different! I was just messing around and I got the 7 OD to pop out on an ungapped, outofthebox Sp 20!!!
If I can do it, y'all can! And it really does get easier and better with practice.
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Preston
184 posts
Mar 11, 2009
10:09 AM
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Atta boy! Congratulations.
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RyanMortos
94 posts
Mar 11, 2009
11:11 AM
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Congratulations- good to know! I don't plan on even attempting an OB/OD until I get much better at all the bends and jamming and such. Though, I'm glad to hear that one day that I do start trying it's possible :) .
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~Ryan
PA
Ryan's Tube - Containing [0] uploads and counting...
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mr_so&so
49 posts
Mar 11, 2009
11:36 AM
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Congrats, harpnoodler. This gives me hope as well. I'm not obsessed with overblowing at this point, but give it a go every once in while on the 6. I can usually squawk one out, but I have to do the bend-it-down-and-hope-for-the-best (can't "pop" it), and can't sustain it. However, I know through this forum that harp adjustment is required, and that if I work at it, it will come. Please keep the uninitiated like myself motivated by tales of success.
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harpnoodler
51 posts
Mar 11, 2009
12:36 PM
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I'm happy that the 2nd position upper octave blues scale has the equivalent of the 1 or 4 draw 1/2 bend.
Who knows? In a year or two it may turn out to be a usable note...
At this point, all the OB's are just "look ma" stuff. I'm aiming to learn scales and arps, but I don't actually use any of them yet.
I'm jam tracking primarily in 2nd at the moment and am focusing mostly on Tb effects and vibrato.
Still, it's nice to know I don't HAVE to buy a custom harp just yet.
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bluzlvr
137 posts
Mar 11, 2009
1:09 PM
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Dear Harpnoodler
Any tips on how you achieved your first overblow would be appreciated by me, "The harp player who is the world's most obsessed with obtaining an overblow in the world"
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Preston
185 posts
Mar 11, 2009
3:08 PM
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Bluzlvr,
Have you seen my video on the harpfriends channel on YouTube Overblowing the six? Maybe if you see it from a guy who's only been playing for 2 years's perspective, you won't get all jacked up about thinking only professionals can do it! I've been overblowing for about a year now. I learned how to do it very shortly after I learned a good six draw bend.
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harpnoodler
52 posts
Mar 12, 2009
10:47 AM
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bluzlvr, I wrote about it on an earlier thread but don't mind rehashing it, on the off-off-chance that it might be of some use. I'll start by saying that I'm not a novice. I believe that if I couldn't blow bend, I wouldn't be able to OB.
That being said, when I first tried, I was closer than I thought because I didn't realize that the awful shriek I was making was a sign of progress. Still, I only achieved the first OB on hole 6--it IS the easiest hole-- on a harp that is designed to be OB-friendly because of narrow gaps, the Suzuki Firebreath.
I now know that if I had taken the time to gap my Sp 20s, I would have been able to achieve it on one of those.
My tips are as follows:
Use a C or B or D harp and focus on the 6 blow.
Play a 6d, bend it down as far as it will go and then as quickly as you can try to blow bend the 6 blow.
You don't need to blow hard, the mouth/throat shape is the key.
If you get a dry shrieking chord, you're close and if you can hold the shriek, try easing off a bit on the pressure and alter your mouth shape by making it smaller and prune-lipped.
If it pops in, but you lose it, open up the harp and narrow the 6 blow gap following Adam's video or overblow.com instructions. You will get it.
If you are currently unable to reliably achieve and control blow bends, then I think you need to work on those first. It will help you achieve OB success.
That's the sum of my limited wisdom on the topic.
Good luck!
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mickil
67 posts
Mar 12, 2009
11:38 AM
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Congrats harpoondler,
I broke my OB virginity the other week. I read that Mike Quill thing on the FAQs page here. I got a 6ob on a Big River D. I can't hold it, but it's a start.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Last Edited by on Mar 12, 2009 11:41 AM
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bluzlvr
138 posts
Mar 12, 2009
12:40 PM
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Preston, yeah I saw your post when you first put it up and I ran out to my car and tried it but no luck.
I can achieve and control blow bends with no problem.
There must be some little thing I'm doing wrong and I'm sure I'll get it eventually if I keep plugging away at it.
If you hear a loud Homer Simpson style "woohoo!!!" coming from somewhere, that will be me after achieving my first OB. Thanks in advance Preston and Harpnoodler
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Tryharp
122 posts
Mar 12, 2009
5:14 PM
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@ Bluzlvr,
I am probably repeating what has been said here and other places in the forum, but these are the key things that I think will make it easier for you:
Try the 6 - its the easiest:
- emboss and gap the 6 blow and draw, generally close the gaps down as low as they can go and still sound, this makes is 50% easier to get. If you cant emboss, just gap it, this is critical when learning IMO.
- while youve got the coverplates off put your finger over the 6 blow reed and blow into the hole changing your mouth shape until the draw reed sounds, there's what you are chasing. Do this for a fair while, until your mouth knows how to get it easily.
- Now with the harp back together, practice trying to choke the blow reed, which if the gap is small, shouldnt be hard, then when the reed chokes just slip into the mouth shape to get the OB, which you should know.
Thats it, sounds easy. Hope that helps, and good luck.
I was excited last night to get the 6 OB while tongue blocking. Its that first breakthrough you need, then to get better at it happens quickly.
TRYHARP
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Uncle Eddie
2 posts
Jan 09, 2015
7:34 AM
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It's only recently that I stumbled upon the term overblow. For decades we just called it first position (on a 4th position harp). Once you figure it out listen to Whammer Jammer on the J Giels Live album. Once you figure it out it gets easy.
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dougharps
804 posts
Jan 09, 2015
12:06 PM
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??? Blow bends(pitch bending down blowing 8-10) and overblows (pitch bending up on a 6 OB) are different.
Jimmy Reed played first position blues and is famous for it, but he didn't overblow on his recordings. He used blow bends to bring pitch down on high blow notes.
Blow bends like Magic Dick played on Whammer Jammer bend DOWN in pitch. Whammer Jammer has signature blow bends using the 9 and 10 blow. Magic Dick didn't overblow on that song, though I imagine he knows how to OB by now...
Overblows like on the blow 6, bend UP in pitch by choking the blow reed and making the draw reed sound on the blow. Overdraws bend pitch up on draw 7, etc.
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Doug S.
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SuperBee
2320 posts
Jan 09, 2015
12:50 PM
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1st position on a 4th position harp? i'm trying to figure what that means...
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Pistolcat
753 posts
Jan 09, 2015
1:52 PM
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Welcome to the forum Eddie! This thread is rather old and a few of the people that posted in it originally isn't around posting any more so you may get more of an discussion by starting a new thread.
There is a difference between blow ending and overblowing just as Doug mentioned above. Adam has some lessons on it in the "store" section. Or if you are intersted you can start a new thread to get some input.
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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nacoran
8213 posts
Jan 09, 2015
4:41 PM
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Pistolcat, it is kind of funny and nostalgic to see some of the old names. I remember those guys!
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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JustFuya
681 posts
Jan 09, 2015
5:31 PM
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I was bound and determined to get me some OBs & ODs when I first learned about them about a year ago. I bought a customised Bb because I wanted a middleman between me and Hohner. I wanted a guarantee that I had that possibility. I had gone back 2 years in the archives of MBH (1200 threads) and learned 2 things. They are not always possible OOTB and when they are it's not from a powerful & breathy effort. It's a nuance.
I paid good money for my beautiful Bb and I was not about to blow it to shit, yet I was headed in that direction. I got the 6 OB easy (boom & g'bye) but I knew I was using too much breath (from what I learned from the pros). So I practised on a few OOTBs.
Here is what I learned: It doesn't take a face contorting, full breath, jaw busting, harp killing elephant hoot to get the extras. There are excellent explanations in the writings and videos within the MBH archives but please come away with the knowledge that if you think you are working too hard ... you are. If you think you are not spending enough time figuring it out I will not disagree. If you don't have a harp in your face progress will be slow.
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