Trochilus Overblow Booster

[mozharp]

Does anyone have any tips on how to fashion an overblow booster for one hole on a Trochilus?

I’ve come up with a more diatonic tuning for the Trochilus that I really like for bluegrass. It’s like a slide diatonic in that I sacrifice some chromatic notes for more enharmonics and chord possibilities.

There’s one missing note that I would like to get on occasion. An overblow booster would make that easier.

It’d be for just one hole, and I’d be ok with just putting my finger over it when I want to engage it.

Could I fashion something out of foam or balsa wood? Or maybe it could be 3D printed?

[Brendan]

This sounds like an interesting project @mozharp. If you have any recordings of your new Trochilus tuning in action playing Bluegrass, we'd love to hear them.

There's an easy way to do what you're after without adding extra parts, although it has a significant disadvantage also:

1. Detune the slide-in draw reed to the same note as the slide-out draw reed

2. Give the slide-in blow reed zero offset (zero gap)

3. When you want the overblow on that hole, press the slide and adopt the overblow embouchure. It will pop out easily.

The disadvantage is that you essentially "lose" two slide-in notes in order to get an overblow on the slide out hole.

You could mitigate that by retuning the slide-in blow reed with zero gap to a semitone lower than the slide-out blow. That would give you a deeper draw bend on the slide-in draw reed, so you'd gain something good that way.

There might be other ways to do it with retuning instead of adding extra parts. If you tell us the notes in that hole, it would be easier to suggest something.

As far as adding a part to the harp goes, a spring-loaded button fitted through the coverplate above the slide-out blow reed with a pad on the bottom would do the job. Just press the button to stop the blow reed and get the overblow.

[triona]

As far as adding a part to the harp goes, a spring-loaded button fitted through the coverplate above the slide-out blow reed with a pad on the bottom would do the job. Just press the button to stop the blow reed and get the overblow.

Exactly this is what I spontanously was thinking about too. But I thought it too outlandish to expect it could work like this, and especially as easy like this. So I did not dare to post it.

The idea came to me from the Seydel All Minor with its slideable magnets in the upper coverplates. If you want to have a look on those:
https://www.seydel1847.de/epages/Seydel ... rrency=USD
The site is historical. Unfortunately they have been discontinued before I could get hold on one.



dear greetings
triona

[mozharp]

Thanks Brendan and Triona for the helpful and informative replies!

On a C harp I’ve tuned the draw slide in notes to a D chord. In cross harp position I can now chug and play double stops on the I, IV, and V chords. I also get the missing ii and vii scale degrees in the low octave in cross harp position, which really helps with fiddle tunes.

I’m still experimenting with blow slide in tunings but for now I have blow C# tuned down to a B, for example blow slide in hole 4 is tuned down a whole step to a B. I find that flicking the slide to go from B to C can be a lot smoother than switching holes and changing breath direction. It also gives me a deeper bend on the draw slide in D.

Anyway, I lose the C# and Eb in for example hole 4. The C# is no biggie since it’s available with an easy bend. But I’d like to get the Eb on occasion. I can get the overblow when puckering, but I mostly tongue block, and tongue blocked overblows are beyond me. Unless I tape the blow reed shut, which got me thinking about the overblow booster.

One option is to tune the blow slide in note up to the Eb. I lose the enharmonic B however. I’m thinking of doing that though on hole 1 because I rarely use the low B.

I thought about an x-reed but if I’m going to lose the enharmonic blow B I’m more inclined to tune it up to the missing note. Then I don’t have to mess with overblows at all haha!


Triona the Seydel magic button harp looks cool! In my dreams I’d have a “jazzy” button that would bring back the missing chromatic notes.

Brendan ah that’s a great idea about a push button with a pad. Where would I get a button like that?

I’ll share a recording once I stop blu-tac-ing and start practicing consistently. It’s the curse of the blu-tac. However the tuning I’m zeroing in on is very different from what I originally mapped out on paper, and I’m much happier with it. I’ll lock it in with solder eventually, but for now, yeah blu-tac! (I actually use a different brand.)

[Brendan]

To get that missing Eb, why not tune the 5 blow slide-in from F to Eb? You already have the F on 5 draw, so you're not losing anything. And you'll get a deep bend on the slide-in F# draw.

As far as the overblow button goes, it would involve drilling a hole in the coverplate above 4 blow and making a spring button. You could do it with a bolt, a few nuts and a small coil spring, shouldn't be difficult.

However I'm not sure it would be easy to access with a finger in that midway position on the coverplate.

[triona]

However I'm not sure it would be easy to access with a finger in that midway position on the coverplate.

Why not? I do not expect an issue like that. If you remenber the holes in the coverplate of the Suzuki MR-300 Overdrive: I experienced that these holes - lying over a reed each - are fairly accessable to at least one or two fingers of the respective hand. And a button on top of reed 4 blow should be easily accesable to any finger of the left hand. So the manipulation of the slide by the right hand is not interferred either. And there is even a possibility to counterpress the pushing moment of the button by the thumb against the bottom coverplate if necessary.


dear greetings
triona

[triona]

blu-tac! (I actually use a different brand.)

I use a different brand either. It is white instead of blue. It is a warehouse brand called "Sticky tack". And the English description on its label is "adhesive gum".

And for harder loadings like i.e. retuning of jaw harps to a lower note I use two-component modelling clay (Plasticine) for repairs like epoxy resin.


dear greetings
triona

[Brendan]

You're right Triona, I'm sure a selective overblow booster button on hole 4 could be designed in a way that made it easy to operate - perhaps with an extension lever.

However I think simply retuning 5 blow slide-in to Eb would solve mozharp's issue without extra parts added to the instrument.

[mozharp]

Thanks again Brendan and Triona!

Here is my tuning for the first 6 holes:

Code: Select all

blow slide in B  E  F# B  E  F#
blow          C  E  G  C  E  G
draw          D  G  B  D  F  A
draw slide in D  F# A  D  F# A

The blow slide in E and F# makes fast scale runs up to the G easier. For example on holes 5 and 6, E F# G is all blow and requires just one slide flick on hole 6. If I changed the slide in E to an Eb I’d have to go from slide out on blow 5 to slide in on blow 6 for E to F#. I find it hard to make that smooth. Still it might just require more practice and I do get the missing Eb. It’s a good idea.

I’m still not sure what I want to do with the top 4 holes. I have one harp tuned to a variation of Richter and another tuned to a symmetrical power style tuning. Any ideas?

I’m not the handiest person but at some point I might try the button idea just for fun. There are other things one could do with a button. Moar buttons!

Thanks again!

[triona]

Triona the Seydel magic button harp looks cool! In my dreams I’d have a “jazzy” button that would bring back the missing chromatic notes.

In case of you did not already find it yourself, here is some more to read about the Seydel All Minor:
viewtopic.php?t=357


greez
triona