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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Ordered a new harp today
Ordered a new harp today
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Noodles
31 posts
Jun 27, 2012
11:05 AM
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Today I ordered a new harp – something new to me. It’s a Suzuki ProMasterV in Low F. The more I think about it, the happier I am about it. Here’s what I’m thinking and I’d love to hear your comments.
The half-valving “might” be just what I need since I’m “overblow challenged.” I can hit them but not reliably or musically. I want to try the bending approach. The upper registers (blow and draw) should be more responsive and soothing to listen to than a regular F. I’m anxious to pair a Low F with a regular Bb in the same tune. The solid aluminum comb adds a bit of heft. Proponents say that it feels nice in the hands.
Low F in 1st position and a Bb in second on the same tune…interesting. Or, Low F in second position with a Bb in third. I wonder if I can bend to 2Blow on a Low F. We’ll see.
Any thoughts?
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Noodles
View my growing photo collection of the top Harp Pros
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Stevelegh
542 posts
Jun 27, 2012
12:23 PM
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I like the Promasters. I bought a valved one in D.
I'd probably defer to PT Gazell on this, but his method of valving doesn't take the valve to the end of the reed slot. I think it's due to valve rattle. I did trim mine back with some sharp scissors and it felt better. Again, please don't tinker with your new harp on my say so, but check out some posts by PT in the forum archive.
You can get some cool stuff with valves, like expression on notes that otherwise won't allow bending on a normal diatonic.
I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun.
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florida-trader
151 posts
Jun 28, 2012
5:56 AM
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I have a ProMaster MR350 Valved in low F and it is a great harp. I hope yours plays as well as mine does. It is as easy to bend as a C harp.
A word about valved bends vs. overblows. I am certainly not the expert in this arena but I've had a lot of epiphanies recently. At HCH I attended both Todd Parrot's workshop on overblows and P.T. Gazell's class on half valved diatonics. Both of these guys are such class acts, but that is besides the point. I felt like a great fog had been lifted. What I learned, among many other things, is that doing single reed valved bends and doing overblows require much the same technique. In fact, in his workshop, P.T. stated that when he plays a non-valved harp and employs the same technique he uses to do a valved bend, he very easily produces an overblow (assuming he is on a hole that overblows). Being the consummate gentleman P.T. was not critical of overblowing. He merely presented doing valved bends as an alternative method for playing chromatically on a diatonic. He said it made more sense to him because we are accustomed to lowering the pitch when we bend a note and single reed valved bends preserve that pattern. Conversely, overblows reverse that pattern as they raise the pitch. P.T. - if you're out there listening please correct me if I am wrong.
The bottom line is that you will probably find that when you master valved bends you'll be able to overblow a non-valved harp too.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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HarpNinja
2541 posts
Jun 28, 2012
7:37 AM
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I could bend on a PT harp pretty much instantly (it was a D, which is a hard key to learn on) because I could overbend.
IMO, those bends are all about using your tongue to bend and creating "back pressure" by breathing from your diagphram. It is NOT like using your tongue to do blow bending.
I think a lot of people either play with their tongue and breathe to shallow, or play from the gut and don't have the right mouth position.
If you try overdrawing on a higher harp, like C even, you can really see the value of creating back pressure and pulling from deep. You can slam overblows often with not so good technique, but they sound much better and fuller when played with back pressure.
In fact, that is how I am able to sustain and bend them. Playing with a medium to strong attack helps me. I think if you play too lightly, it can actually be a detriment.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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Noodles
46 posts
Jul 05, 2012
2:44 PM
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Got the new Suzuki Promaster 350V (LoF ) with the half-valving today. I was holding down the couch during an important John Wayne movie when it arrived in the mail.
Wow! It’s really a work of art with the solid aluminum comb and full-length cover plates. Very comfortable in the hands. I’m impressed.
You have to adjust your breath pressure a bit, but that was a simple modification. You can't play like a gorilla on this harp; it requires a bit more finesse.
It took about 5 minutes to be able to hit clean blow bends from holes 1 through 10. The 7-10 overdraws are a little squeaky, but I can already hit them. Being able to get all those bends gives me the over-blows I’ve been lacking and struggling with. It is so much easier to bend a note down rather than pop up a reed for those over-bends.
You have to be a bit more precise while doing any bending because you’re only bending one reed instead of the usual 2 reeds simultaneously in the same hole
Being able to bend the 2-blow, 5-blow, 6-blow and 7-draw cleanly and consistently really opens up the middle of the harp in 1st Position with a new minor 3rds and flat-5. The Blues scale in 1st position (middle of the harp) was never so available to me before.
The embouchure for the blow bends are very much like for a draw-bend or an over-blow. Here’s the difference for me – RESULTS. Immediate and consistent. Have you ever bent the 1-blow?---it’s different.
This brings a whole new level of chromaticism to my playing. It was a good investment.
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Noodles
Last Edited by on Jul 05, 2012 2:45 PM
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