SuperBee
6876 posts
Jan 12, 2021
1:25 AM
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No, I don't think there's any consensus.
P T is a very skilled player, almost in his own league. Maybe it's more accurate to say he has created his own niche.
Some time ago I was taking lessons with Jimi Lee, and he was just getting into half valved playing.
JL already was a very skilled player with overblows and of course all the conventional techniques.
I don't know if you know his work, but as he described it to me, he was trying to find the point where blues meets jazz.
The thing I remember he was talking about was how the melodies sometimes flowed a little better for him with the half valved harp, because he could bend down to his note, rather than with the overblow bending up. Not for everything, just particular songs he wanted to play.
He used to practice during our lessons which was a bit cheeky perhaps but I suppose he was educational IE still talking and demonstrating.
My personal experiences with halfvalving have been mixed.
I've probably become generally more capable since playing more chromatic harp and my breath control is much better now. I think that's very important generally, but it becomes imperative when you get into technique like single reed bends.
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