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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > 10 Overdraw on a high
10 Overdraw on a high
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harpdude61
2327 posts
May 24, 2016
7:16 AM
Hey Friends! Been too long. Let me just say that life sometimes gets in the way of fun and leave it at that. Much catching up to do. Great to be back.

I've noticed on youtube so many videos of trumpets, trombones, saxes, etc,,playing high notes just to see how far they can take their instrument.

I thought "why not" on harmonica. So, highest note I have heard an overdraw played on is 10 overdraw on a G harmonica which would be a G# pitch.

Maybe it has no musical value but who cares. It is a definite technique builder and muscle developer. Think donut rings on a baseball bat. Plus, it's fun stuff.

To do this you must build up to it or you could risk injury. When I play this pitch my throat muscles are pulling so hard it is slightly painful. What is ironic is my throat feels the almost exact same way when I play one hole overblow on my low "F" harmonica. Difficulty level is about the same.

It's also great practice on a high G to go up and down between the four pitches of the 3 hole draw. Talk about learning nuances.

Here goes!


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STME58
1714 posts
May 24, 2016
8:38 AM
I like your idea of exploring the limits of the instrument. I am just getting a handle on overblows, overdraws are a bit trickier for me. I learned from Andrew on this site that you can set up the reeds on a hole really close and get an overblow that you can bend up 5 or 6 halftones. I have tried it on hole six and found that it works. I wonder if you could set the 10 draw up that way and take the instrument up a bit higher.
You comment about this having no musical value reminds me of what one of my mathematics instructors told us about pure mathematicians. HE said they have a goal to come up with mathematical principles that have no practical purpose just for the joy of mathematical discovery. Every time they succeed, some fool engineer or applied scientist finds a practical purpose for their new discovery!
ridge
669 posts
May 24, 2016
9:39 AM
For clarity, the clip ends abruptly once he hits that G# because he broke the time-space continuum on that hypersonic harp and was no longer allowed to exist.

RIP Duane
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mr_so&so
1026 posts
May 25, 2016
2:04 PM
I couldn't hear that myself, but my dog started barking ;)
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harpdude61
2328 posts
Jun 08, 2016
10:53 AM
Ridge! Came thru a wormhole and made it back! ..lol..fun stuff...if you practice on higher harps it really does build chops.
STME58 I have bent up four 1/2 steps. Not made it to six. When playing slow blues, I love to hit the 6 overblow hard in cross harp on the IV chord and slowly bend up two 1/2 steps which puts you on the root of the IV chord..very cool.

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nacoran
9090 posts
Jun 08, 2016
11:33 AM
Seydel makes a High A.

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First Post- May 8, 2009
STME58
1732 posts
Jun 08, 2016
12:13 PM
I have a 14 hole Hohner in A. The top reed is so short it is almost square. I have not been able to get the short little to sound even after adjusting the gap on both reeds in the top slot.


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