How to do a overblow hole 6 made easy

[Lindy-Harper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN8Jjne66XE

[Steamrollin Stan]

But whats the big deal with the 6 hole overblow, Its done and never has been something magic or outstanding IMHO.Not to sound like a smart ass but I think so what?...

[Ringer]

I can't do overblows so I'll give this a try when I get home.  Might freak people out if I try at the office.

[Rick]

Ha ha, probably would.

[Lindy-Harper]

Hole 6 overblow is the easy one to over blow
i have been doing overblows for about 3 years now, but i don't use them very often,  they are simple to do when your harmonica is set up for them.

My little miss, can do one, as you can see,  she don't play harmonica, i been trying for years to get her in to it, she can kind of play jingle bells, but that is as good as it gets  so if she can do it , anyone can  she has the concentration span of a pea.

[Matt]

But whats the big deal with the 6 hole overblow, Its done and never has been something magic or outstanding IMHO.Not to sound like a smart ass but I think so what?...

The advantage of adding the 6 hole overblow to 2nd position is that it is the minor 3rd, which does not occur naturally in the middle octave. You can use this as a blue note like you would use the 3 hole half step bend, which is also the minor 3rd.
In a blues or cross harp context, I think the other overblows have much less value and some of them none at all. I was fortunate enough to meet Howard Levy in Sydney and heard him demonstrate blues in every key on a C harp. I must say it was underwhelming to say the least. Despite the skill it takes to play like that, most of it sounded just terrible. Jason Ricci uses the technique to good effect, but he is also exploring alternative scales a lot of the time, where some of these overblows are essential to make those scales across the whole range of the harp (3 octaves).
Personally I think the 6 overblow is pretty handy, but I have no interest in becoming an overblow player otherwise. In a jazz context I can see much more value for these notes.

[Lindy-Harper]

Feel the same as you Matt , i hate Jazz but i do love hole 6

[Matt]

Feel the same as you Matt , i hate Jazz but i do love hole 6

I don't set up my harps for OB's so popping the 6 overblow isn't a sure thing for me, except perhaps on a lower harp like Bb, A, or a G etc. SO I don't risk it as often as I should. If I change a dead reed on any of my harps I usually tweak the 6 blow and draw a little while I have the contraption apart. My prefered weapon for gigging (Special 20's) dont often overblow satisfactorily right out of the box, though my Crossovers and Marine Band Deluxes fare a better (the Marine Band models have a shorter comb and narrower slots than the SP20 has, so the airflow and tolerances are not the same).

I don't feel like overblows ever need to be a part of any good blues player's arsenal, but I do still think the 6 is worth developing for any player - eventually, at least.