That's right. I've finally got off my ass,gapped my harps and now i can overblow the 4,5,and 6.
Its all thanks to Christelle and her new video. Shes playing a very cool blues on a beach but for some reason the overblows stood out and spoke to me. I had to grab my harps straight away and gap them. I'm still not sure what to do with them. I searched the forum and found some licks to work on but the point is i'm gonna give it a good go and try to work them into my playing.
Think of terms of scale degrees and you will know where to put them.
60B is a minor third in second position I Chord, so it's the more useful for blues. But also, at the IV chord you can use the 4Ob since it's the minor third of this chord. Also, you can use them as passing notes of for doing chromatic runs, that sound a bit "jazzier", or kind of a bit more saxophone approach to blues.
I think many players don't like OB just because they are not used to hear them and they expect to hear only the bends and natural notes (a cultural issue). They sound a bit different because the raise the note in pitch But if you hear a trumpet or a saxophone you will hear they get a very similar sound to OB when they get the sharp notes.
Good luck! ---------- With some latin flavour for you, chico!! :P
This will keep you busy for a while...http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/1091567.htm ---------- Mike Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas Updated 3/14/11
I've been thinking about the title of this thread. I think I was a little harsh with the term 'given in to overblows'.
It was never a case of resisting them,I just don't think I was ready to tackle them yet. I've been playing for 5 years now,I always new they existed but I always thought I had enough on my woodshed plate to be getting on with.
Now hopefully I can work them into my playing gradually like I have with Tongue blocking:o) ----------
i used to think overblows were for losers so i wasn't a user so i'd never get hooked.
i accidently popped one out one day and started 'chipping'- i wasn't gonna be a nerdy junkie. i'd just do it sometimes. then it got to be every day. i'd look for 'pushers' all over youtube.
now i'm a broken shell of half a man, half nerd. "ONE OF US! ONE OF US!" go ahead and laugh at what ridge posted. next it's overdraws and there goes the farm. ----------
MP doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
Mmmmm .....I guess when that tune pops up that you cannot get out of your head & if it has overblows then you find a way to play them. Or, you buy special tunings or use a chromatic or give up! I can't do 'em but I need to learn. I have almost nailed St Louis Blues except for the 6ob. One day. But I'm not into gapping as I tend to destroy harps that I fiddle with.
The overblows I'm working on but the overdraws are elusive little buggers! I've just received a HarpNinja/Buddha GM in A, that's gonna take me ALL THE WAY!!
Awesome ant138! I really like all the music you have posted. Overbends will add a whole new dimension to your already fine playing.
I started practicing OBs about the same time I started playing out in public at jams and sitting in. It took me about 2 years before I felt like I was ready to play OBs in public. Another year later and I'm usings the ODs in 2nd out some and the 4 OBs in first position. It will probably come much faster for an experienced player like yourself.
Funny...I'm just starting to learn TBing, after thinking for awhile that I never would. Good luck!
I played about six years before I could do even one OB. I included one 6OB on my first album. It was a good 2 1/2 to 3 years after that before I could say I had truly integrated OBs into my playing. Now I truly don't know what I would do without them, and I am nearly unconscious of the fact that I am "doing" an overblow probably about half of the time. I would not be anything like the player I am now without them.
I guess my point is that it's easy to have a negative or apathetic opinion about OBs until one has started to learn and then integrate them. But that's not going to be a particularly well-informed opinion.
Having said that, overbending is just a technique, and it's not essential to OB in order to be a "good" harmonica player, whatever "good" means. I've never seen B.B. King do a two-handed hammer-on, but that doesn't make him any less a great player.
Good on ya Ant! We should start doing "lick of the day" again, only this time with overblows. I have to say, I don't know what I would do without the 6 OB anymore. When I play a harp that's not been set up (rare these days), and when I go to hit the 6 OB and get nothing, it soooo frustrating. That's a CLUTCH 2 position note for me now, so to not be able to hit a blue third in that middle register is super anoying to me now! :) ---------- == I S A A C ==
Well I haven't seen this thread and of course I want to say thanks to Ant138, believe me I've had a long list of people saying that they're playing harmonica because of my videos, and about you saying that you want to explore new territories in your play because of me is extremely touching (regardless of the quality of this video)
The thing about overblows, is once you've understood how to set up the reeds for your play (I genuinely thing that THERE'S NO STANDARD SET UP since the morphology of everyone is different, even our mother language has an influence on the acoustic quality of our sound), you should think of them as notes that need to be worked on, but after a while you overbend just the way you bend the draw notes. ---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
