Re: 1st position blues

[Mike Curtis <wd6ehr@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> 
> I've been playing so long and am starting to get into other positions ( 
> well other than 2nd ). Can anyone give me some hints/tips on 1st position 
> blues - there has been much talk of Jerry Portnoy doing Hootchie Coochie 
> man using 1st position. Can you name some recordings for me to learn some 
> stuff from. Perhaps even some useful riffs - in ascii tab ?

Jimmy Reed did a lot of really nifty stuff in first position.  "Honest I Do"
is one that comes to mind off hand.  Also, listen to Charlie Musselwhite if 
you want to hear some really nice "position" work.

I have several .wav files of hot first position stuff I could ftp to 
<wherever??> if you 1. have ftp, and 2. have a way of playing them.  
they're at least 500k (zipped), which might be a little much for email, 
especially by the time uuencode has expanded them (add 30%)

Some nice notes in first position on a C harp are draw 2 bend (F, Gb), 
draw 3 bend (Bb), draw 4 bend (Db), and draw 6 bend (Ab - use it to slur 
into A)  

If you play valved, blows 2 and 5 bend (Eb), blows 3 and 6 bend (Gb), and
my favorite draw bend 7 (Bb) combine to make first position super-bluesy. 

And of course, you have all those SUPER blow bends on holes 8, 9, and 10.
Dogs and audiences love 'em!  Try a bend vibrato on blow 9 for a super 
effect.


 --  mike curtis
wd6ehr@xxxxxxxxxx