[Harp-L] First position XB-40

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Robb Bingham 
<robbingham@xxxx> wrote:

Discovered something while stuck in
hour-long traffic: The XB-40 is really great for 1st
position stuff [using the C for a C song]! I'd go so
far as to say that that will be it's main use among
Blues Types. 

In the past most of my 1st position riffs
were a kind of variation on Wilson's ~Humbugging Me~
[Classic Riff: slide from 1b to 4b, 3ddd, 2d, 2dd, 2b,
1b, 4b]. 

With all the Blowbends available on the XB40
you aren't limited by all the ~bad holes~ and can
always blowbend it into something sweet. It seems to
come natural to the thing. Really fun. Anybody know
what I mean?

===========

Robb - 

I totally agree. I've actually played around with using first 
position to sound EXACTLY like second at the beginning of a tune, 
playing an A-harp and carefully choosing only what would be possible 
on a D-harp in second position. After awhile, you start working in 
stuff that works in first position but not in second, and then stuff 
that is completely unique to the XB-40. 

To non-harmonica players it will (hopefully) just be good music, but 
most harmonica players will be scratching their heads and 
wonder, "What position is he in? How does he DO that?"

Winslow