Kinda sucks, I know, but the way to learn an instrument is to play the instrument. Comments are welcome. ---------- Ted Burke __________________ ted-burke.com tburke4@san.rr.com
Well, I am on the SUB 30 constantly and find it a harder play than regular harps, which I expected. I am still learning where the extra notes are and am not sure if I am finding them. I am having to modify th way I play, which I expected. Anyone have any tips on playing approach, hard or soft?Thanks ---------- Ted Burke __________________ ted-burke.com tburke4@san.rr.com
@JINX:Your link, while informative, is irrelevant to my question about proper embrouchure for the Sub30. "How to Improvise Jazz Melodies..." I take as a dig at my style of playing. You obviously hold my skill in low regard, and you've been hurtful in your posts in the past. This, I think, violates the board rules about showing respect. If you dislike my playing, please refrain from comments. Otherwise, I will take this up with the moderator. Thank you/ ---------- Ted Burke __________________ ted-burke.com tburke4@san.rr.com
ted you said yourself it sucks, that link will help you not suck. that's all.* One or two of those concepts applied to your "style" and it would start to sound much more musical. ----------
Last Edited by JInx on Mar 12, 2015 4:36 PM
Well, the SUB30 was designed to give you bends where they don't naturally occur, so instead of overblowing hole 6 to get the Bb in the second octave you would draw bend hole 7--as you do at the 1:16 mark. Same is true for the other holes--there are some notes that you don't need, like blow bend 4, that's the B note you get on draw 2--but the bent notes that you benefit most from are blow bend 5 (Eb) and 6 (F#) and draw bend 7 (Bb) and 8 (C#). Some folks have trouble with the draw bends on holes 2 and 3, but it's just a matter of getting used to it. And the key, as always, is vocal resonance--playing harder, as usual, doesn't help.
I will say that especially when there is a strong Django like rhythm it is necessary to time your runs so they return on the beat. All of those notes in the fills, whether 2 or 20 need to be subdivided in such a way that they are complete within the bars allotted. And start clean on the next measure. Just like a drummer's fills they need to be counted out to get the feel.
Here is a good example even if it is geared to the drummer- it is very applicable
edit for missing video
Last Edited by Goldbrick on Mar 13, 2015 5:56 AM
@Gnarly" Thats' for the input; that is very helpful and I think it's helped moved a bit further on this than before. Lets jam sometime.
@Goldbrick: I agree wholeheartedly with what you're recommending. With practice things come more naturally.
@Jinx: My soft-pedaled self criticism of the opening post wasn't an invitation to insult my playing . You know it wasn't, and I am irked by the facetious dishonesty of your response to my request that you refrain from commenting on things I post. You've demonstrated that you don't like what I play in a conspicuous way, so I ask you again to stop. Your next message to me on this board will result in my taking this up with the moderator. ---------- Ted Burke __________________ ted-burke.com tburke4@san.rr.com
My good man, the moderator has been notified of your continued lack of respect for a fellow board member. ---------- Ted Burke __________________ ted-burke.com tburke4@san.rr.com
Ted I admire your willingness to try new things. I've been trying to learn the powerbender tuning myself and it's quite a challenge. Thanks for your video.
I didn't think it sucked. It some ways I like it more than some of your other stuff because it was more melodic. If your just trying to play the same way as your other harps what the point. ----------
I’m glad this thread has lingered, if not, in part, for the wrong reasons.
Ted – you are a strong player and in my opinion someone who will be able to capitalize on the potential of the SUB-30. (More about that carefully worded statement later.) Few people in the world have been as intimately involved with the SUB-30 as I. I can think of only three. Brendan Power, the inventor of the SUB-30, his partner at X-Reed.com Zombor Kovacs and our own Gary Lehman who has the pleasure of “repairing” SUB-30’s on behalf of Suzuki USA. I guess you can throw in the people at the Suzuki factory who build the SUB-30 but I don’t see them posting much on the forums.
There are a couple of major points that I will make in this post. First, there is technology available that can vastly improve the performance of the SUB-30; and second, I have some observations about what are the realistic expectations for this harp should be.
I will apologize in advance if this comes across like a Blue Moon commercial. That’s not my intention. This is an academic conversation and there is some important information that should be a part of this conversation.
At SPAH 2012 Brendan approached me about making a custom comb to fit the SUB-30. The 30-reed design of the SUB-30 made the comb far more complex than anything I had made before. The result of our efforts was a comb we dubbed the BMH30 / by Brendan Power.
It is a solid CNC milled comb that replaces the stock injection molded ABS plastic comb that comes on the SUB-30. It is more airtight and helps make the SUB-30 more responsive.
As much improvement as the BMH30 Comb delivers, the next innovation is even more important in the quest to help maximize the potential of the SUB-30. It is called the External Valve Plate or EVP for short. It took me more than a year to develop – not a full time effort mind you but bits and pieces here and there as time permitted. And I had help from some high IQ Harp Tech minds. Just as I solicited advice from people about the new Special 20 combs I recently developed and am currently seeking input about custom covers, I sought and received help in developing the EVP. Thank you Richard Sleigh and Adam Hamil. There is no way this would have happened without you guys.
With 3 reeds in each chamber there is a lot going on inside of a SUB-30. In short, a stock SUB-30 is a 30-Reed / 10 Valve Harmonica. Valves, of course, seal off reed slots and prevent the reeds from playing when you don’t want them to. The EVP adds 10 more valves to the SUB-30 making it a 30-Reed / 20-Valve Harmonica. The addition of the EVP to a SUB-30 enables you to isolate 2 of the 3 reeds in each chamber whether you are drawing or blowing. It makes the SUB-30 far more airtight and responsive. Installation is a snap. It is joined with the top reed plate using the stock screws. No drilling, additional screws or special tools are required for assembly.
So that is the technical part – which I have deliberately kept very simple.
My efforts to effectively and successfully market the SUB-30 has taken me down many paths -many of them in my mind. After developing the BMH30 Comb and the EVP I felt the next logical step in the quest to maximize its potential was to customize the reed plates in much the same way that standard diatonic harps are. I sent SUB-30’s, complete with BMH30 Combs and EVPs to several very capable customizers. I was anxious to see what they could create. I eagerly anticipated receiving a buttery smooth ultra-responsive tone monster on which I could effortlessly play anything my heart desired. To be honest, in spite of the best efforts of three very capable harp techs, I was somewhat disappointed with the results. This is not a reflection on their work. They did make significant improvements in the harp. More so, it was a byproduct of my lofty expectations. Over the past several years I have learned how to build a pretty decent diatonic. The amount of improvement I’ve been able to make in my own personal harps and the harps I send to customers is dramatic. I was expecting that same black and white difference with the SUB-30. However, it was not the panacea that I expected. But that is more due to the fact that I have become spoiled because I am so accustomed to playing very responsive 20 reed diatonics.
From a pure marketing point of view, I was hoping to build the ultimate harp that could make it easy for anybody to play chromatically. But that is not what the SUB-30 is. What the SUB-30 is, is a damn good harp that has its own unique advantages. It is not a fair comparison to compare it to a custom diatonic any more that it is fair to compare a custom diatonic to a chromatic or a tremelo harmonica. It is a different kind of harp with its own personality. The bottom line is that it takes skill and some chops to maximize the potential of the SUB-30. This is what I meant when I said that Ted is a strong player who has the skills required to get the most out of the SUB-30. My travels with the SUB-30 have led me to putting it into the hands of a lot of professional players. Every single one of them was able to squeeze more out of the harp than I could. Big surprise. Duh!
Even though I have had theBMH30 comb for over 2 years and the EVP for over a year I have been fairly low key in my marketing efforts. In the past year I have sold a couple dozen SUB-30 Customization Kits and Custom SUB-30s. The feedback has been 100% positive. About 2 ½ years ago when the SUB-30 first came out I predicted that the price would drop and I was correct. The original list price was $215 and you could pick them up for $180 at SPAH. Today, I offer SUB-30s complete with a BMH30 Comb, an EVP and the customer’s choice of ProMaster of Manji covers for $175. I present this information merely to point out that the SUB-30 is not dead. As a $180 harp that was leaky and unresponsive the SUB-30 was a huge disappointment. But for those of you who once hoped that the SUB-30 could be something special, there is good news. Yes, I am a salesman. Yes, I make components to upgrade the SUB-30. But my goal all along has been to help make the unique design of the 30-reed diatonic more mainstream and we’ve made great progress in that area.
Ted – I would like to extend an invitation to you to try the BMH30 Comb and the EVP. I would like to send you a Customization Kit – no charge. I think now that you have had some time to familiarize yourself with the SUB-30 your feedback would be valuable. No strings attached. What do you say? Are you up for it? Let me know.
---------- Tom Halchak www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by florida-trader on Mar 13, 2015 8:45 AM
Tom, thank you for the kind words and the generous offer. I am very much interested in taking you up on this and providing you with feed back. I will email you with my information. Let me know what specifics you may need. Again, thank you. ---------- Ted Burke __________________ ted-burke.com tburke4@san.rr.com
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