11th position

[Winslow Yerxa <76450.3230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TO: internet:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Is it in the Kama Sutra?

Let's look at chord planes on a C harp and a blues progression in
Bb.

For Bb blues we need three basic chords

I:  Bb7  - Bb  D  F  Ab

IV: Eb7  - Eb  G  Bb Db

V:  F7   - F   A  C  Eb

Or we could even strip off the sevenths (the last note in each
chord above).


Now let's look at the blow and draw planes:

         1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10
       ===================================================
DRAW:  |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
       | D  | G  | B  | D  | F  | A  | B  | D  | F  | A  |
       +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
BLOW:  | C  | E  | G  | C  | E  | G  | C  | E  | G  | C  |
       ===================================================


======Bb Chord:

The draw plane has D and F built in. By bending a few notes (*) and
overblowing (+)n we can get the missing notes of the chord:

         1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10
       ===================================================
DRAW:  |    | *  | *  |    |    | *  |    |    | +  |    |
       | D  | F  | Bb | D  | F  | Ab | B  | D  | Ab | A  |
       |    |    | Ab |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
       +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
       |    |    |    |    |    | +  |    |    |    | *  |
BLOW:  | C  | E  | G  | C  | E  | Bb | C  | E  | G  | Bb |
       ===================================================

Note that from Holes 1 though 6 you can get a Bb7 chord note in every draw.
The blow C and G notes meld in fairly nicely as 2nd and 6th. The blow E can
be used as a blues flat fifth or as a lower neighboring note to F.

That B natural in Hole 7 looks kind of nasty, but try using it as a lower
neighboring tone leading into C.

======Eb Chord:

This is much tougher on a C harp. mainly because the blow plane is full of
E naturals, and you have to overblow for an Eb in Holes 1 (one of the hard
ones) and 4. In hole 8, though, it's a relatively easy blow bend.

The blow plane also contains G (the third of the Eb chord, and C, the
pleasant 6th. Combine these with B to make some easy licks.

The draw plane gives us Bb in various guises, and D in holes 1 and 4 can be
bent down to Db - the 7th of the Eb chord.


         1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10
       ===================================================
       |    |    |    |    |    |    | +  |    |    |    |
DRAW:  | *  |    | *  | *  |    |    | Db |    |    |    |
       | Db | G  | Bb | Db | F  | A  | B  | D  | F  | A  |
       +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
       | +  |    |    | +  |    | +  |    |    |    | *  |
       | Eb |    |    | Eb |    | Bb |    | *  |    | Bb |
BLOW:  | C  | E  | G  | C  | E  | G  | C  | Eb | G  | C  |
       ===================================================

Note how holes 1 thru 4 draw give you an Eb 7th with bends. Draw 5
continues it into a 9th, and hole 6 - without bending - gives that classic
raised 11th feel (try it - you'll recognize the jazzy, lush sound).

Blow 8, 9 and 10 arpeggiate an Eb triad - and you can raise the Bb to a C
for a screaming trumpet sound, and bend the G. continue it on down and the
C in hole 7 makes an natural extension. Keep going and overblow 4 for a Bb,
the let it go for G - this pathway can really smoke!

=======F Chord:



         1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10
       ===================================================
DRAW:  |    | *  | *  |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
       | D  | F  | A  | D  | F  | A  | B  | D  | F  | A  |
       +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
       | +  |    |    | +  |    |    |    |    |    | *  |
       | Eb |    |    | Eb |    |    |    | *  |    | Bb |
BLOW:  | C  | E  | G  | C  | E  | G  | C  | Eb | G  | C  |
       ===================================================

The draw plane really belongs to the F 6th chord (same thing as D minor
7th. You can touch on the C underneath the draw F, and the G under the A
while tooling around on the draw plane.

Eb, the 7th, is still an overblow in the lower part of the harp but is an
easy bend up top, and bending from blow C to Bb in HOle 10 can be fun. E in
the blow plane can be problematic - treat it as a lower neighboring note to
F. C and G are the 5th and 2nd (or 9th), and can be warbled or played as a
chord. These two notes work agains everything in the progression - if all
else fails just wheeze on blow 3 and 4.

======OTHER STUFF

Obviously, there's lots more to go into - blues scales, pentatonics, etc.
But just finding strings of all-blow and all-draw notes that fit a chord is
a good way of getting your feet on the ground.


Winslow Yerxa
Harmonica Information Press
Z
Z Buzz Buzz Buzz went the honeybee; tweedly deedly dee went the bird . . .