If you hum into the one hole blow while blowing you get a dirty growling sound like sax players do. But if you sing the same note as the 1 hole blow, same octave, perfectly in tune, the note on the harp sounds an octave lower! It's probably pretty useless but it sounds cool;)
I've read somewhere it's called a difference tone - I can get it a little bit when releasing a 3/4 bend but I don't know how to exaggerate it - anyone know?
Lol. I've made that noise before. I actually sang into my harmonica for a short song I wrote about needing a quarter for the candy machine. I think it worked pretty well. :)
I hadn't noticed, but you're right, it does make it sound lower, but in the interest of science I tried singing a higher octave... it seems to make it sound higher then!
Staying on the one hole blow can actually make 'tooo tooo tooo' noise and shape your mouth real close to the resonant frequency you can make a pretty good jaw/Jew's harp sound that you can modulate a little. It's not a bend, but you have to shape the sound a little to make it interesting. :)
Another weird one is if you can get a really good tight hand cup on the back of your harp, press the harp up against your face so only the ten hole is open and play a one hole blow or draw you can get the opposite (a draw or a blow) to sound on the ten. With a little practice and a really airtight harp and some clever use of your thumb you can block the ten and get the nine or eight to sound. I suspect you'd have to spend hours on the technique to get really good at it. It sounds pretty cool on my Low Low F.
There is also video around somewhere of a guy playing through the back of the harmonica. He uses his fingers to block the mouth holes to change the notes!
Yep, that's the one. I've actually got an idea for an oddball harp I'd like to engineer, but I think you might have to play it like that to make it work. (Not putting it all the way in your mouth, but blocking holes.)
Jodanchudan, I think you have just demonstrated an internet harmonica theory I've been developing... If it's not here, and it's not on YouTube, it's probably on Pat Missin's site! That's a great little article. He has a great trove of knowledge on his site.
