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From: "PM"
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 11:41:15 -0500
Subject: Reed Gappingn for Overblows

On Fri Jan 2, Jerr~smortgage.com asked how reeds should be adjusted for
overblows:

It depends on your embouchure, what kind of music you're playing, and what
kind of response you need from your instrument. A good rule of thumb to
START-is that the reeds should be gapped about the same thickness as the
reed you are gapping.
Then you can adjust it depending on what that gives you.

When you first start overblowing, you'll probably need to close the reeds as
tightly as possible without choking the sound. If you are used to playing
full-out, you'll probably have to adjust to the "feel."

As your embouchure develops, you'll be able to let the gapping get wider,
and the harp response will get faster and more fluid. The 6th hole can
probably take the largest gap to start . . .

The approach I recommend to working on your overblows, is to practice "long
tones,"
progressively relaxing all of the muscles involved, while maintaining proper
pitch and tone. It's a good idea to use a keyboard to help you "hear" the
correct pitch. The
same is true, by the way, for practicing bends.

The idea is to develop the overblows so you don't have to "muscle up" to
play them.
If you have to "muscle up" to bust one out, then you'll have to make some
sort of compensation either before or after that note, and the musicality of
the passage
will be compromised(lost fluidity or just plain general ugliness-IMHO, it
ain't worth playing the note if you have to sound bad to do it).

I like to practice with a Bb harp-4th, 5th, and 6th holes to start . . .
Also, try working with a Golden Melody or Special 20 to start-they generally
have better reed response(but you never know, I've had really good
overblowing Huang Silvertones) . . .

Check out the second cut on the first Trio Globo CD; "Darkness" is the name
of the cut.
That cut really gave ME some further insight into Howard Levy's approach to
overblowing. His attack is so soft, he just barely engages the overblow.

Good luck, and let us know how it's going . . .


Best regards,

Paul Messinger/Chapel Hill NC