I thought (mistakenly I guess) that there was only a 1/2 step bend available there. But there is apparently two. Is this unique to the Eb ? ---------- My YouTube Channel
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 8:02 AM
I saw that schematic that 7L posted the other day and really dug it (nacoran has done something similar). Is there a site that has this chart? i'd like to print it out for all keys.
I have two D harps on which I can bend the 4 draw down to the same pitch as the 4 blow (two half steps). I have to work a lot harder than I should and use a lot of breath force, but I was surprised the first few times this happened.
There was a thread about this I guess about a year ago. I'm not the only one who has seen this. ----------
if you compare it to the 4 blow, you'll hear that it's about a 1/4 step higher. This is actually normal for all harps. They can be bent down to just above the lowest reed. In this case, it's just being augmented by the fact that it's a higher harp. Try bending the 3 draw down as far as it'll go and comparing it to the 3 blow. You should hear the same difference in pitch. So, in essence you are correct that there's more than a 1/2 step bend. There's a 3/4 step bend.
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 8:34 AM
Yeah. If you bend all the way down as far as possible you will be flatter than the 1/2 step. That's why it's important to bend to pitch and not just slam it down all the way to the "floor" of the bend which is about 20% flatter than the target pitch of the lowest available bend in the hole. This is true for both blow and draw bends.
Now, the 20% figure varies from brand to brand and from key to key. In my experience Hohner D and Eb harps bend almost a half step on draw 5 and the "floor" of the 4 draw is pretty far past the half step.
Some experts will tell you that there are 2 blow bends in the 9 hole and you will occasionally see diagrams that show this. i think there are some books by Gindick and Musselwhite that each have diagrams like that. It can be confusing.
Once you understand that that you don't bend to the floor of the bend in order to bend to proper pitch it's a whole lot easier to learn to hit all available bends in 3 draw and 2 draw. You don't have to bend as far as you might have originally thought.
A lot of players bend that note down too far all the time. Meaning, if you go to the floor of a bend, it will be flatter than what one expects. Same is true of holes 1-4...if you bend all the way down, it will be lower than a half step, but not low enough to be a whole step. The sweet spot, or the actual in tune note, sits between the draw note and full bend. ---------- Mike Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
Going along with what hvyj and harpninja are saying playing bends into a tuner is great as you can see the note. This helps to show that you can hit it ok.
