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From: Mike Curtis
Date: Mon, 7 Oct 1996 13:27:56 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Tone Deaf

On Mon, 7 Oct 1996, Debbie Hamper wrote:

> [Harmonica], unless solo-tuned, does not have all scale tones.

This is true only if you don't use overblows or windsavers. But even
using only traditional bending, wherein the higher note in each hole can
be bent (changed in pitch down to roughly a semitone of the lower note in
the hole), all notes are available somewhere, albeit not in any one
contiguous octave.

I play (almost exclusively) a C major diatonic Lee Oskar with (self
installed) windsavers (AKA "valves" - little plastic flaps that seal off
the "unused" reed, thereby saving wind; and in the process making it
possible to bend EVERY reed), and play it chromatically, getting notes
from Bb (blow-1 bent down 2 semitones) all the way up to C three octaves
above, and EVERY note in between - including microtonal notes not
available on piano such as blues thirds (between minor and major third)
and blues fifths (between natural fifth and flatted fifth). These are
needed to play effective blues and related styles, such as a lot of jazz,
rock, etc., as well as to play one diatonic harmonica in all keys.

While I know how to get overblows and occasionally practice them, valves
(windsavers) obviate my need for them (as well as make them impossible on
my valved harps - I keep an unvalved Golden Melody just for this purpose).
There are several on this list who use overblows/overdraws to play
diatonic harmonica chromatically. I personally prefer the sound of valved
bends to overblows.


-- IronMan Mike Curtis
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