In preparation for an eventual Sub 30 purchase, I've been trying my hand at Filip Jers' composition entitled "Sub 30" using a half valved Big River. I have not messed with half-valving too much and it's been interesting trying to suss out the bends; regardless, good fun and hopefully the technique translates a bit when I get my hands on one of these new harps.
Valved bends are much touchier than their UltraBend counterparts. I found the interface to be pretty transparent on the SUB30--got to play Brendan's personal one, sweet!
@ Gnarly... Nice! Yea, I'm psyched to get one when they're more widely available... Half valving seems pretty intuitive but I think it must take some time to really hit the bends without losing volume/ tone...
@ Resonator - take a look in the "Forum how to link" in the introduction text on the main forum page. You need some HTML to post working links and embedments. Nice playing, btw!
Although, you're holding your harp upside-down, man. :P ---------- Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
Last Edited by on Sep 01, 2012 4:27 AM
@ Granly....I beg to differ. I would contend my half valved bends do not sound weak. You have to practice. But what you gain is a better overall Pro emboucher and better bends all over the harmonica.
PT ---------- "Life...10 Holes & 20 Reeds At A Time"
@ Pistolcat... Thanks for the info. I'll check it out.
@ PT.... I really, really like the tone you get out of your harps. I enjoy your Swingin' Easy Cd and I've listened to your version of "Did you Call Her Today" via SPAH 2010 video too many times to count... . I've been enjoying the valved approach and I think with more time spent I should be able to figure it out a bit better.
PT Gazell does have the best control of valved bends around, and his unique jazz playing on half-valved harps is widely appreciated.
Like other name players there, PT was curious to test the new SUB30 UltraBend at SPAH. He sounded great! Of course, the new double-reed bends on the SUB-30 are the same ones that PT currently bends with half valving, so he was instantly at home on the new harp. The bending technique is slightly different, but he sounded very fluent in just a few minutes.
Forgive me for saying so PT, but to my ears you sounded even better on the UltraBend... :-)
PT is in a class of his own on half-valved harps. For the general player, it is undeniable that the double-reed bends on the new UltraBend are far easier to get and hold than the isolated-reed bends on a half-valved harmonica. Personally I think its bends also have more soul and expression, because they are the same as the normal draw and blow bends on a stock diatonic. Plus you can easily add vibrato and tonal colouring on them.
I invented the half-valving concept in the early 1980s and have used all half-valved harmonicas (diatonic and chromatic) since then. I like the feel and pure sound of half-valved harps, but have always felt they were not a truly satisfactory answer to achieving chromaticism on a diatonic. To me, the tone of valved bends sounds kind of nasal, and they are hard to hold steady at pitch.
Of course PT has emphatically proven that it's possible to play chromatically on a half-valved diatonic but, like high-level overblowing, it's certainly not easy! If it were, there would be a lot of name players taking that path. Instead, most currently opt for overblowing.
But that could change. I believe the soulful tonality, sweet expression and playing ease of the double-reed bends on a 30 reed harp is the best way forward for diatonic chromaticism in the future. It's simple and quick to learn for the majority of players, with a far shorter and shallower learning curve than overblowing or valved bending.
The Suzuki UltraBend is the first example of this fresh approach. All the exciting new bends are there to explore, but I'd be the first to say it is not mind-blowing in terms of tone and volume out of the box. However, it sounds great with some reed embossing - as Filip Jers is showing with his videos.
Richard Sleigh is another respected harpist and customiser who's getting addicted to the UltraBend. Significantly, he comes from a traditional Blues tongue-blocker's perspective.
We've been Skyping recently, and he's shown me some cool ways of adapting it to suit rootsy down-home playing with octaves, double-stops, flutter tonguing and the rest of the Blues player's arsenal of tricks. When you add in the 10 new soulful double-reed bends to that great traditional harp sound, you have an exciting thing going on!
The UltraBend is just the start. I predict that other manufactueres will follow suit in the next year or two with their own 30-reed harps. As more and more players discover the fresh expression and chromatic possibilities easily available, I believe this new design will grow massively in popularity in the future.
Last Edited by on Sep 02, 2012 3:47 AM
