XB bending vs Overblowing



I'm curious how some of you dedicated overblowers who may now own an XB-40 feel about
it?  Will you stick with overblowing or become converts?

Precisely hitting those half-step bends on the XB-40 can be a bear.   And if you don't
hit them precisely it can induce seasickness in your listeners!    I used to think I
was pretty good at hitting my bends cleanly, but now there's a whole new level of
practice and hard work ahead of me.

But on balance I have to say I still prefer the XB to overblowing.   We all know how
much work it takes to become proficient at overblowing.   Most of us listen to the best
overblowers and get discouraged that we'll ever get to that level.

And then even when we do practice religiously, there's still something about
overblowing that seems a little too random.   As if, despite all your practice, there's
still a hope and a prayer involved as to whether that overblow is going to pop out at
the moment you need it most.    Are you playing a Filisko or a Golden Melody?   Are the
gaps tweaked just right?   Are the sun and the moon and stars aligned properly? 

But with the XB-40, there's a welcome consistency.   The difficulty level may be high,
but at least that half-step 6 blow reacts predictably every time you attempt to hit it
with no tweaking or other voodoo involved.  It all comes down to you, your ear, your
mouth and the harmonica.    A particular riff may seem nearly impossible on first
blush, but with enough practice it changes from nearly impossible to nearly possible,
giving you sufficient motivational feedback to keep you working on your technique.

Speaking of nearly impossible, I've been working on "Marian the Librarian" from "The
Music Man" in 3rd position.   Lots of fun with the 6 hole blow bends!





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