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From: "PM"
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 17:33:24 -0500
Subject: Re: Using Overblows

Mike:

Thanks for the feedback . . .

>I pretty much agree with this, although I personally take it well beyond
>1st thru 3rd positions. I have played a lot in 4th position for most of
>my life, well before I was even aware of "positions". I simply called it
>"A minor on a C harmonica". I find "fourth position" to be much less of a
>mouthful.
>
>I have likewise used 5th, 6th, 10th, 11th, and 12th positions well before
>knowing about "positions", simply because they prodived the "right" sound
>for the songs I wanted to play. For example, St. Louis Blues goes from a
>minor to a major, and swings best IMHO in a major, so I use the key of C
>minor (relative minor of Eb, or 10th position) and C major (1st position)
>because it's what works. (This works on unvalved as well as valved
>instruments)
>


When I say that I "view" the diatonic as a "C" instrument, I used
that as way to convey a sense of "approach," probably exactly
like yours(except I don't play valved harps-but more of that in
a moment).

My attitude is the same as if I were approaching it on a flute, let's
say. The flute is a "C" instrument. If I were to play Take 5 in Eb minor,
I'd "start" from Eb Minor, just playing the flats; To me(and I'm sure the
same is true with yourself), it's all do, re, mi after that. Whatever
"key" you're playing in, you are still "hearing" the melody and
where the music is- the keys are just "relative" do re mi's . . .

On the diatonic, I would choose to "start" from whatever point for
a bunch of reasons. Usually, the operative imperative is-where does the
melody lay the sweetest? Also, I might need to consider where the "bridge,"
goes-and where the melody lays sweetest for that. Sometimes I'll start in
what might be considered a more "difficult" key because the bridge then
gives me a more accessible key that lays out more naturally(on diatonic).

A(very)simple example would be to start a blues that is in D-Major on a
C-Harp, because the 4-chord(G-major) then sits there in cross-harp, and
I can really "lean" into it . . . (Of course I'd have to know about the C#
in
the 5-chord and play the A-bend convincingly-because it's not "musical"
otherwise, and it doesn't sound good) . . .

These, of course, are diatonic issues. I don't know how they affect the
"valve"
harps because I've never played one.

>Adding valves makes it possible to get missing notes, of course, but it
>also gives me some GREAT sounding bends and glissandos I wouldn't
>otherwise have.
>
>While I like the notes, it's the MUSIC that is important. What good are
>notes if they sound bad and make the audience think that you're some kind
>of second rate musician? Anyone who plays ONLY for harmonica players is
>probably going to have VERY small audiences :-)

I "think" I said the exact same thing, and I've said it many times. The
"technique and technical issues" are just mechanism to getting down
to the real purpose of the whole thing-being "musical" and "sounding
good."

Anything I've said about dealing with "sounding bad" in regards to
working through the overblows, is just that . . . I try to "deal" with it
by practicing whatever issues get in the way of sounding good . . .

As far as the valve-harp approach. I'm hearing a lot of it for the
first time, so I'm listening to everything y'all say. "I" pretty much have
made a commitment to learn to play the standard diatonic, and
would view learning to play the valved, or work on chro, or sax/flute/
keys/guitar or anything else I like to play in the same way . . . it
all takes me away from trying to deal with the issues on the
diatonic that I've committed to working on.

"Any" instrument takes time and practice, so I just try to keep
slugging it out where I am. Believe me, there's days I want to
toss it into whatever large body of water happens to be handy . . . :-):)-)

As usual, please toss into all the "appropriate" places, that
I'm not in ANY way making any value judgments, implied
or otherwise, on any other approaches. I wanna hear it
all . . . (every style, every approach) . . .

Let me know what you think . . .

Best regards-Paul Messinger/Chapel Hill NC