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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
. Todd Parrott Questions
. Todd Parrott Questions
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harpdude61
121 posts
Apr 30, 2010
2:46 AM
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Todd.......You must really think outside the box. When I started learning overblows and overdraws, the instruction I picked up on youtube stated that the notes for hole 2 and 3 overblows and 8 hole overdraw were already on the harp. So no need to learn. Maybe I am missing some techniques, effects, or possible licks?
You talk about using the 1 OB in 2nd position and I think you use the 4 OB in 2nd position. These notes are the bomb in 1st position, but I cannot make them fit into 2nd position. Would love to learn how this note fits.
I am also blown away that you are having the B-Radical customized. I'm sorry, but a harp at that price, should be stock ready for a professional to use no matter what style they play. Just curious what the total price will be after customization.
Hohner does not make a low F Golden Melody so I just bought a low F Suzuki Promaster. A band I sit in with plays Stormy Monday in G so I got the low F to play in 3rd position. Great harp! The 9 overdraw (for the flat 5th) was sweet right out of the box.
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clyde
36 posts
Apr 30, 2010
6:06 AM
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yeh and a two thousand dollar les paul should be as you say, stock ready for a professional to use right out of the box, but guess what...it's not either.
not for everyone that is.
i was on a web page one day and there was a list of harp players and the harps they played. there were hundreds of them. i was surprised by the fact that many...many of them played not only cheap harps but out of the box harps as is.
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Nastyolddog
637 posts
Apr 30, 2010
7:38 AM
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Yo Clyde i only play out of the box Hohner SP 20-S,
I'm Old School is if i can't get the tone i want from a Out of the boxer,I'm doing something wrong:)
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asilve3
104 posts
Apr 30, 2010
9:40 AM
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"You talk about using the 1 OB in 2nd position and I think you use the 4 OB in 2nd position. These notes are the bomb in 1st position, but I cannot make them fit into 2nd position. Would love to learn how this note fits."
um... play them over the IV chord dude.
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clyde
37 posts
Apr 30, 2010
11:14 AM
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i meant to say how many of the famous harp players....
no offense anyone
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ToddParrott
15 posts
Apr 30, 2010
3:03 PM
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OK... let's see if I can answer some of these questions for you:
As for the 1 & 4 overblows, as asilve3 mentioned, you can use them over the 4 chord (the overblow becomes your minor 3rd for the 4 chord), but it's also nice to bend the 4 overblow, the same way you would bend the 8 blow - same sound. If you watch the video I posted about Joe Spiers' custom harp you'll see what I mean. (I'll try and demonstrate this more in an upcoming YouTube video about Joe's harps.) And when using the 1 & 4 overblows in other places besides over the 4 chord, I use them mainly as passing notes. You can hear this in the slow blues jam in the B-Radical video. Lastly, the 4 overblow works well when the music goes to the flat 6 chord (I think that's what you call it). Again, there's an example of this in the B-Radical video. I rarely sustain the 4 overblow for blues playing, but you'll notice that other musical instruments, like guitars, likewise rarely sustain this note. It's a note that only fits in where it fits in, if that makes sense. I just use my ears. You can also learn a lot about where to use certain notes by listening to horn lines in blues music, and more specifically saxophones.
As for the custom B-Radical... it does play at a professional level out of the box, but there is no such thing as a "custom" harmonica right out of the box. If it were, it wouldn't be custom. Folks are quick to forget the meaning of "custom" - this means the harp has been customized for you, the customer. This sounds simple, but think about it this way... When Joe Spiers contacted me to build my custom harps, he asked me several questions like, "are you a tongue blocker or lip purser", "do you overblow from the front of your mouth or the back of your throat", "what tuning do you prefer", etc. In other words, when I got the finished product it was perfect, because it was set-up specifically for me according to all of my specifications. There is no way a harmonica could be mass produced to satisfy every single player out there. It's simply impossible. But, what IS possible is what Brad has done; to mass produce a harmonica that will overblow and overdraw easily, respond very well, and have a fantastic tone, right out of the box. Even though other mass-produced harmonicas claim to be great for overblows and overdraws, there isn't one that I know of that is consistent. Sure, the reed profiles my lend themselves well to the overblow/overdraw technique, but the harp usually has to be set up a little before you can achieve the results you want. And the way you set up your harp for overblows may not work well for another overblower. It can vary from player to player - some play harder than others, causing the reeds to stick, so finding that perfect balance is the key to a setting up a harp that will allow you play overblows, but still allow you to play like Little Walter. So you can see how this is an impossibility as far as mass production goes.
Let me also say that you obviously don't need to play overblows or overdraws to be a great harp player, nor do you need to play a custom harp to be a great player, but the need for overblows and overdraws, and especially overblow and overdraw bends, is what drove me to custom harps. Even with my first Joe Spiers custom overblow harp, he had to make a couple of adjustments for my playing style, because I was used to playing very hard - I also had to adjust my playing style a bit. So this is pretty normal the first time around when trying to understand the customer's needs. Next, when I ordered 6 more of Joe Spiers' harps, he knew exactly how to build them for me and he nailed it - every one of them played perfectly. This is the beauty of a custom harp. Once again, we see how this would be virtually impossible from a mass production standpoint.
So, back to the B-Radical... why did I send it Joe Spiers? Well, Joe was anxious (as we all were) to check it out, and I wanted it set up like my other Spiers customs, optimized for overdraw bends which I am using a LOT these days. If Brad makes custom B-Radicals available, I'm not sure what he would charge for them.
And while there are some overblows and overdraws that exist on the harp in other places as bend notes, when you get into bending up the overdraws, you can duplicate almost any lower octave lick on the higher octave of the harp. For example, the 8 overdraw may seem useless since it's the same note as the 9 draw, but when you bend it upward, you get the same sound as you would get from a country-tuned harp on 5 draw, which works well in the blues on the 5 chord. I think I did this somewhere on the B-Radical video too.
And as for the low F, I wish the Golden Melodies still came in the low keys. I have a low E, F, and a bunch of low Eb's and F#'s. They also discontinued the High G which I can't understand why. The low keys are bad for the 1 draw reed hitting the cover plate, but the High G's were great. The Golden Melodies seem to be treated like the red-combed stepchild of the Handmade Hohner harps, which really frustrates me at times. The Marine Band gets all the attention! :-) Why can't there be a Golden Melody Deluxe? Just a thought.
P.S. I played primarily stock Golden Melodies for 19 years before getting more heavily into customs. Joe Spiers' harps actually changed my playing for the better.
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Micha
93 posts
Apr 30, 2010
3:22 PM
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Todd,
Don't you have problems hitting the overdraws on the higher harps?
And could you shed some light on the type of vibrato(s) you use? They really sound great!
Thanks!
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ToddParrott
17 posts
Apr 30, 2010
3:53 PM
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No problems on Joe's harps at all. I will demonstrate soon on an Eb on YouTube.
As for my vibratos, there were 2 major influences for me, Terry McMillan and Buddy Greene. If you want the best vibratos in the world, listen to those guys.
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groyster1
39 posts
Apr 30, 2010
5:33 PM
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todd
since getting on internet harp exploration I did not know what vibrato was I am still trying to figure it out-being a respiratory therapist by trade I know the epiglottis opens on inspiration and closes on exhaltion when you swallow the epiglottis closes to prevent aspiration into the lungs-my question is do you try to close the epiglottis during a bend on a draw note? that is going against mother nature
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ToddParrott
19 posts
Apr 30, 2010
8:28 PM
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I'm not sure how to describe it in medical terms, but the best way I know how to describe it in writing is that it's almost like a hiccup, except that you aren't closing off the flow of air completely. Instead, you want short bursts of air, except that you are inhaling instead of exhaling. Hope that makes sense. It's easier to demonstrate in person.
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bigd
92 posts
Apr 30, 2010
8:39 PM
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I'd like to ask a question about a Low F (especially of Todd) but i'll start a thread relative to this specific question to open it up to others too. My best. d
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Myspace: dennis moriarty
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