Overblow

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Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:33:06 +0200

This is overblow.com, the objective of this site is to collect as much information on the diatonic harmonica technique called overblow or overbend, in one place. We hope to be able to clear up misunderstandings and teach people how to play overblows with ease and confidence.
Overblow.com is also the home of the chord and scalefinder for all harmonicas and custom tunings.

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Harmonica

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:33:06 +0200

Harmonica - Overblow Technique

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:32:25 +0100

The diatonic harmonica, as its name indicates, is designed for playing the notes of a diatonic scale. On standard Richter tuned diatonics these are the notes of the major scale. The full scale can be played on the second octave, but in the first and third octave some notes of the scale are missing.

When we look at the C harmonica and the C major scale, the missing notes in the first octave are the F and the A, in the third octave the B is missing.
These notes can be played by bending.

The blow- and drawbends add a large number of notes to those that can be found on a Richter tuned diatonic, however not all 12 notes that are used in western music can be played on the Richter diatonic by using bent notes.

The notes that are missing are, when we look at a C harmonica:
- The Eb in the first octave.
- The Eb, F# and Bb in the second octave.
- The C# and Ab in the third octave.

These notes can be played by using overblows and overdraws, giving a comple

Harmonica - Overblow Technique - H-spot

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:54:28 +0200

In some publications it is stated that an overblow is played in much the same way as a blow bend. "What kind of blow bend?" would be the first thing I would like to ask. Is that a tongue blocked blow bend or a puckered blow bend? If it is a puckered blow bend then is it a tongue tip bend or a H-spot bend?

A number of publications describe a technique which uses the tip of the tongue to force the overblow to sound. This, in my opinion, is a very bad way to learn to overblow. It requires a lot of tension in a number of muscles that are not used in playing other notes like normal draw and blow notes or bend notes (unless of course you use the tip of the tongue to play bend notes, which I would also advise against). This tension will make smooth transitions from one note to the next nearly impossible.
The tip of the tongue and the muscles in the lips and cheeks are not very stable muscles, especially at the force needed. The tip of the tongue will tire quickly and the control nee

Harmonica - Overblow Technique - Two Parts of the Overblow

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:28:49 +0200

A normal diatonic harmonica has two reeds for each slot, one blow reed and one draw reed.
When playing a (draw) bent note these reeds work together, the draw reed vibrating at a pitch lower than the one it is tuned to and the blow reed vibrating at a pitch higher than the one it is tuned to.
When playing an overblow only the draw reed sounds while the blow reed is choked.

Playing the overblow can be seen as to consist of two separate parts:

1. Getting the blow reed to stop sounding.
2. Getting the draw reed to sound.

Though the objective in overblowing is to get the draw reed to sound while blowing into the slot, choking the blow reed is the important first step to achieving this.

Harmonica - Overblow Technique - Choking the blowreed

Thu, 27 May 2010 04:07:51 +0200

The ease with which a reed can be choked depends on the gap, the distance the reed is from the plate when it is not vibrating. If the gap is low enough the reed will not play at all, it will choke immediately. When the gap is too wide the reed will never choke. One of the difficulties in setting up a harp for overblowing is finding the optimal gap, where the reed will both play and choke well.
When setting up a reed try to get a minimal amount of leakage when it is choked. Any extreme arcing of the reed will interfere with choking the reed because the reed will never close the slot off properly.

In order to develop a good control of the blow reed it is wise to practice choking an isolated reed.
Open up a harmonica and block the draw reed of (e.g. by putting a finger over its slot). Play the blow reed and gently bend it down, if the gap is small enough you will soon reach the point at which the reed chokes.
Bending down the note is done from the H spot at the back of the

Harmonica - Overblow Technique - Getting the Drawreed to sound

Sun, 16 May 2010 22:31:11 +0200

Getting the draw reed to sound is the easy part of the overblow, all you need to do is resonate the right pitch. Again I would suggest you start with an isolated reed by blocking of the blow reed. Gently blow and try to find the right tongue/throat position that will allow the draw reed to sound.

It helps if you have a clear idea of what the note you are going to play should sound like. This helps set up the muscles in your throat for resonating the right pitch.

Remember this is not a matter of force, the isolated draw reed will sound at a whisper of a breath if you are resonating correctly.

Harmonica - Overblow Technique - Playing the Overblow

Mon, 03 May 2010 20:22:35 +0200

Once you feel you can control the choked blow reed and can get the draw reed to sound, you can put the two parts together and play an overblow.

First forget about playing the overblow and just concentrate on playing the blow reed. Slowly bend down the note and try to reach the point where the blow reed chokes.
Chances are that you when you do reach this point the draw reed will immediately start to sound.
If it doesn't then don't panic, stay concentrated on keeping the blow reed choked and gently try to get the vocal tract in the right position for resonating the note the draw reed should produce.

If this turns out to be very difficult then try to set the gaps on both reeds a little lower (or very low) that should make them respond better.

Gapping the reeds will affect the reed's response to pressure.
2. Arcing the reed will change the reeds behaviour when bent.
3. wax or nailpolish is used to stop squeeking reeds
4. Embossing narrows the slot to minimize leakage.
5. Tip scooping changes the airflow around the reed.
6. Corner rounding allows a reed to be gapped low without it sticking.

It must be said that almost all modifications to the harmonica that are aimed at improving the responsiveness of the reed will have a ve

Harmonica - Harp Modifications - Gapping

Wed, 12 May 2010 20:41:18 +0200

How do you find the optimal gap needed for overblowing? Assuming you are able to set up the reed curve so that the blow reed chokes well, you still have three options for the reed gap, it can be too close, too wide or just right.

In order to find the right gap quickly play the overblown note and the blow note repeatedly.
You need to look for a gap where both notes sound equal. When playing the notes one after the other the difference in response will become clear.

Below are three examples.

The first example is played with a gap that is too wide. The blow note will sound long in comparison to the overblown note. The overblown note takes too long before it sounds.

Gap too wide

The second example is played with a gap that is too small. The opposite happens, the blow not

Harmonica - Harp Modifications - Arcing

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:42:11 +0200

Gapping and arcing is not something you can do well by just looking at the reed. You have to feel how the reed responds. Gap and play the isolated reed, bend it down and choke it. Listen for the escaping air or feel the air flow by holding a finger a little above the slot.

I use two parameters to check if a reed is set up the way I like it.
The first is the distance I can bend the reed before it chokes, the second is the amount of air that escapes along the reed while it is choked.

I try to get the isolated reed to bend at least a quartertone, maybe a little more, before it chokes.
When it chokes there should be as little air leakage as possible. The reed will never fully close the slot, but there is a big difference between a howling wind and a soft breeze.

I like my reeds very straight and the gaps very low, so arcing usually means getting rid of the arc the manufacturer has put on the

Harmonica - Harp Modifications - Waxing the Rivet End

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:48:36 +0200

A common problem in overblow playing is the occurrence of torsional vibrations in the choked reeds. When choking a reed, escaping air, which passes along the sides of the reed, can cause the reed to waggle in the slot, producing a high-pitched squeak.

Tombo reeds are notorious for doing this and are therefore not preferred by most overblow players.

Since all reeds have a tendency for torsional vibrations depending on how they are gapped and how straight they are, a fix has been found using beeswax or nail polish.

I prefer the wax because it lasts longer and is easier to rework if something goes wrong.

A small amount of wax is placed around the rivet end so that it is just on the reed. This stabilizes the reed and helps prevent the torsional vibrations.

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Harmonica - Harp Modifications - Embossing

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:25:07 +0200

A very effective modification is the narrowing of the slot (embossing). The reed slot is narrowed by pressing a round metal object along the sides of the slot, causing them to bend inward slightly.

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Harmonica - Harp Modifications - Tip Scooping

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:34:24 +0100

Tip scooping is what customizers call the use of indentations in the reedplate around the tip of the reed. At the tip of the reed a part of the reedplate is taken away with a small file to create a small indentation in the reedplate edge. This is said to increase the laminarity of the airflow.

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Harmonica - Harp Modifications - Corner Rounding

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:33:47 +0100

In corner rounding the tip corners of the reed are rounded off. This, like tip scooping, is said to produce a more laminar flow around the reedtip, thus causing the reed to respond quicker making it easier to gap for overblow playing.

Apparently, corner rounding is something different than that which I described here.
In a workshop at the World Harmonica Festival Rick Epping showed a technique where all the exposed edges on the reed are rounded off. So not the corners at the tip are rounded, but the corners of the edges along the side of the reed are rounded. Apparently this makes it easier for the reed to swing back trough the plate, thus causing it to react better to the player.

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Harmonica - Harp Modifications - Replacing the weighted reed

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:40:19 +0100

This modification is specifically aimed at the blow reeds that have a small weight at the tip, usually only hole 1. For playing the hole 1 overblow you need to be able to stop the blowreed from vibrating. The blowreed in hole 1 usually has a weighted tip that makes it difficult to stop this reed. In theory you could grind down the tip of the reed and then tune the reed back down to the right pitch, but a much easier way is to just replace the reed by a reed from a high pitched harp. This reed can then be tuned down by removing material from the base of the reed to get it to the right pitch.
There is one problem with this method, the new reed will be very flexible and is very likely to hit the opposing reed plate when it is played with any force. This will happen on playing the normal blow note and also when playing the hole 1 drawbend.

Since I have never used this procedure myself I have not made a video of it. However I do replace reeds from

Harmonica - Practicing Overblows

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:48:21 +0200

No one ever said overblow playing was easy.
One thing most people will agree on is that overblow playing requires a lot of practice.
So what do you practice to get to a point where you can incorporate overblows into your playing and more importantly, how should you practice?

One thing that really helps when you are learning to play overblows is to have 2 old harmonicas where the reeds have been taped shut. One with the drawreeds taped shut and one with the blowreeds taped shut.
On these you can easily practice the different parts of the overblow technique. Use the harmonica with the tape on the drawreeds to practice bending the blowreeds down untill they choke and use the one with the blowreeds taped to get the drawreed to respond to you when you are blowing into the hole.
You will find that the seperate parts of the overblow are relatively easy. Putting them together is hard, but becomes a lot easier when you have a clear feeling for the differen

Harmonica - Practicing Overblows - Practicing Intonation

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:41:28 +0200

Overblows have a natural tendency to be slightly flat, so in order to be able to use them they have to be bent up.

Play the overblow, softly without force, and try to bend it up slowly. As you bend up the overblow further, the draw reed will vibrate further from the plate, more air is lost and therefore more air will be needed to keep the overblow sounding.
While doing this try to concentrate on keeping the blow reed choked and try not to put tension in muscles that have no influence on the pitch of the overblow. That means; keep the cheeks, lips and tip of the tongue relaxed.

Overblow Bends

Once you feel you have a good control over the pitch of the overblow practice playing it in the right pitch from the start.
Use a piano, or other sound source to check your intonation.

I find that playing tunes I have known from when I was very young are good for practicing my intonation. When

Harmonica - Practicing Overblows - Practicing The Choke

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:51:15 +0200

In order to play good sustained overblows you have to have good controll of the choked reeds.
Practice choking the reeds isolated and at different pressure levels.

A good excercise for choking is bending down the lower blow notes while trying to stop the draw reed producing sound.
Once the blowreed reaches the point where it would normaly choke, you can keep it sounding by increasing the pressure. This will most likely also cause the drawreed to respond first.

Working on not letting the drawreed sound will give you a good control of the two seperate parts of the overblow.

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Harmonica - Practicing Overblows - Collected tips & tricks

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:02:18 +0200

Scales are always a good thing to practice.
Practicing your scales helps you find your way around your instrument.

Just like childhood melodies a major scale is something you can probably sing in tune, practicing the different major scales will help to improve your intonation.
Listen to yourself when you play the scales, try to be aware of the sounds you produce. This can be difficult when you are just starting out and are still trying to find the right notes.
Don't try to play fast, but try to play the scale well.
Pay atention to the transitions between the notes, the length of each note and the tone.

Chromatic scale

When playing a note short and with power, try to play with a constant position of the tongue and lips.
Make sure the power needed for the short attack is generated from the diaphragm and not from motion in the tongue.
Practice this by first playing a slow contr

Harmonica - Overblow Players

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:31:35 +0200

This section is meant to bring you an overview of the players that are actively using the overblow technique in their playing.

At this time we start with an interview with one of the people that has had a big influence on the development of the overblow technique, Joe Filisko the famous harp customiser.

read the Filisko interview

Our next addition to the overblow players part of this site is again an interview by Ludo Beckers. This time he interviews young harp hero Jason Ricci.

read the Jason Ricci interview

Harmonica - Overblow Players - Jason Ricci interview

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:52:32 +0200

Originally published in the Belgian blues-magazine Back to the Roots

INTERVIEW

JASON RICCI

by Ludo Beckers

On the internet harmonica-forums have been raving the past couple of years over a young talented player who's ground-breaking new territory in the world of blues-harp.

His innovative way of handling the set standards in Chicago-blues harmon

Harmonica - Overblow Players - Joe Filisko interview

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:51:09 +0200

Original publication: 'BACK TO THE ROOTS' nr.47 - December 2003.
www.backtotheroots.be a blues-magazine from Belgium (Dutch language).
Photo-material for the article (thanks Buzz Krantz, Mojo Red, Tony Ramos, Bobbie Giordano and Didi Neumann!) appeared in the printed edition.
I would have loved to go deeper into technical harmonica questions, but our readers are subscribed to a blues-magazine in general.

Harmonica - Examples

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 15:31:04 +0100

I have recorded a number of example scales.
Major scales and two different blues scales for each of the positions on the diatonic harmonica.

They are here in MP3 format for download.

the major scales

the minor scales

the blues scales

or as a playlist of all scales at once

Harmonica - Examples - Major Scales

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:24:51 +0100
Major scales for all positions.
Played on a C diatonic harmonica.

The major scale is constructed in the following order of whole (w) and half (h) steps.
w-w-h-w-w-w-h

in the key of C this becomes: C D E F G A B C (all the white keys on the piano)

Playlist of all scales

C major scale, first position
G major scale, second position
D major scale, third position

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Harmonica - Examples - Blues Scales

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:29:24 +0200
Blues scales for all positions.
Played on a C diatonic harmonica.

The blues scale is constructed in the following order of minor 3rd's, whole (w) and half (h) steps.
m3rd-w-h-h-m3rd-w

in the key of C this becomes: C Eb F F# G Bb C

Playlist of all scales

C blues scale, first position
C blues scale, first position high
G blues scale, second position
G blues scale, second position high

Harmonica - Examples - bent overblows

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:35:28 +0100

Overblows can be bent up. Some people can play enormous intervals on just one overblow. The tonal quality is difficult to maintain and the further the note is bent up the more difficult it gets. However with practice the tonal quality can be improved and the notes can be of practical use. Especially when played as part of fast embelishments they can be helpfull by eliminating the problem of fast switches in breath direction.

The following examples are played starting from the bent up overblow down to the unbent overblow (or overdraw in holes 9 and 7).

hole 6: B to Bb

hole 5: G to Gb

hole 4: E to Eb

Harmonica - Examples - Other Examples

Fri, 01 May 2009 23:17:41 +0200
Chromatic scale - C Diatonic
Overblow Bends
Example Eb slow vibrato
Blues example
Blues example II

Choking examples

Choke the isolated blow reed
Blow to choke to overblow
Draw to choke to overdraw

Gapping examples

Harmonica - Downloads

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:08:03 +0200

Download the scalefinder as a standalone page so you don't have to be online when you consult this overcomplete tool:

scalefinder

Harmonica - Links

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:43:22 +0100

Overblows:

Levyland - Howard Levy's articles on technique.

Overblow Players:

Howard Levy

Otavio Castro
Carlos Del Junco
Brendan Power
Steve Baker
www.tenhole.com
email:tinus@overblow.com

FAQ

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:17:19 +0200
Thank you for visiting the Overblow.com Frequently Asked Questions.

We have only just started this FAQ so there might be a few questions that are missing.
If you have questions that you can't find the answer to here or have suggestions for additions to the FAQ, please email us at:

info@overblow.com

FAQ - Playing Overblows

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 18:57:24 +0100
Frequently asked questions pertaining to the playing of overblows.
Please select a question in the lefthand side of this page to see the answers.

FAQ - Playing Overblows - What is an overblow?

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 18:57:24 +0100
An overblow is a blow note played on the first 6 holes of a diatonic harmonica using a technique that causes the blowreed to stop sounding while the drawreed produces a note.

The note that is produced is one semitone above the pitch of the drawreed.

FAQ - Playing Overblows - How do you play the overblow in hole 1?

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:19:43 +0200
There are several positions of the tongue that will allow the overblow to sound in hole one, but most of them are not stable.

In my opinion the best way to play this is to put your toungue on the bottom of your mouth and try to get the tongue as low as possible for the entire length of the tongue.

The feeling is a little like having a hot potato in your mouth that you are trying to cool down by blowing past it.
Choke the blowreed with the tongue in that position. If you are able to get a relaxed but solid choke on the blowreed, you should be able to play a stable overblow.

FAQ - Harmonicas

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 18:57:24 +0100
Frequently asked questions pertaining to the harmonica.
Please select a question in the lefthand side of this page to see the answers.

FAQ - Harmonicas - What harmonica overblows best?

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:59:30 +0200
The best harmonicas for overblowing are made by Joe Filisko. These however are difficult to come by (checkout the Guild's website).

There is a number of other harmonica customizers that make very good overblow harmonica's.

see: "links"

also see: "What production harmonica is most easily modified to an overblow harp?"

FAQ - Harmonicas - What production harmonica is most easily modified to an overblow harp?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:28:05 +0100

I recently played on one of my students' Hering Golden Blow harmonicas and I must say these are amazing. The best factory produced harmonica for overblows. The only problem seems to be the price, they cost about as much as a custom harmonica, but then ypu also get something that plays as a custom harmonica.

From personal experience I would say that the following harmonicas are very good production harmonicas for playing overblows.

The Hohner Crossover
The Suzuki Manji
The Suzuki Firebreath
The Seydell 1847

The Seydel Favorite Black
The Hohner Special 20

Not from personal experience, but others peoples comments:

Hering Silver Blow
Hohner Marineband Deluxe