Re: [Harp-L] Unusual old stuff (5th position)

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rick Dempster wrote:
> I'm surprised you don't hear more of 5th in early playing;seems 
> really natural for primitive blues, or at least it does to...

I play in 5th position a lot, and really prefer the Melody Maker 
tuning for this position against a natural minor, since it has the 
2nd degree of the scale without an overblow, as well as the 4th 
without a bend.  

"Blue Bossa" in Gmin plays really well on an Bb Melody Maker (where 
the root note is Eb; labeled in 2nd position, a la Lee OSkar, the 
harp key is marked 'Bb'), and "Fly Me To The Moon" in Emin plays 
really well on a G Melody Maker (again, where the root note is C; 
labeled in 2nd position, the harp key is marked 'G').  

One could argue whether this is 5th position or really 4th position, 
since the harmonica is altered to play the 2nd position major scale, 
and is therefore diatonic in the 2nd position scale, but this is a 
no-win situation...  ;-)

-tim

Tim Moyer
Working Man's Harps
http://www.workingmansharps.com/