Re: [Harp-L] RE: Harp keys cheat sheet - further uses of the Cycle of 5ths

["Abner Galdos" <cdgaldos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bill thanks for the info.
Last night I was at open mike and one of the guys ( Chris)gave me some songs to learn and what key the songs are played in.
Chris wants me to be on stage with him.
I did go up and play with a Suzuki Fire Breath in the key of A and played for songs with one great gal with a sweet southern accent. Playing and making eye contact was great...
One guitarist (John) would play songs only in my harp range, John  knows for me to  change the harp I would have to go find it a different key
He has no problem with me complimenting his singing and playing... the 2nd guitarist ( Super Dave ) did not... he wanted me to back off when the other guy was singing and would tell me to stop playing... So I would  back off  but  keep on playing but away from the mic..

After I was done, several musician came up to me and told me I had improved in 3 month and were very proud of me.
Richard ( from Harp L ) was also impressed..
Here is the funny part... 
I was told buy Richard and a lot of other people at the bar, that when I back off they could not hear me... and some of them told me they motion to me to get closer to the mic.....

so, here was my dilemma and the 2nd guitars was the one a few months ago that took the mic away from me  and gave me such a low sense of self esteem that it took me a very long time to go back up and play...Not this time... 

So this sucks, I know I'm not in their playing skills.  But if people like my playing why should I stop...
Richard also played last night and I have seen him with other bands... Richard is a very good harp player and has given me a lot of good advise.. Richard told me I have good tone and my bends are getting there....

If it were not for Richard constant advice and encouragement I would have gone into that stupid low confidence mind set.
Thank you Richard...

abner (Blueyes, I will play next week )

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill 
  To: Abner Galdos ; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 2:13 PM
  Subject: Re: [Harp-L] RE: Harp keys cheat sheet - further uses of the Cycle of 5ths


  Sorry Abner, didn't mean to blind you with science!

  Do your backing tracks come with chord charts - I should hope they do or they're doing you a dis-service!  If you cross reference the chord symbols on the chart to the cycle of fifths, you should be able to see what I was going on about.  

  Some friends of mine have got Iphones and have downloaded an app that gives them chord charts for the Real Book, it's called IReal Book (I think), it's only £4.99 sterling.  You can transpose the tunes on the phone as well - amazing stuff technology!  

  Bill 



    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Abner Galdos 
    To: Bill ; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
    Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 3:45 PM
    Subject: Re: [Harp-L] RE: Harp keys cheat sheet - further uses of the Cycle of 5ths


    I am understanding the circle of Fifth.
    The rest you are trying to teach me is way over my head...
    for now....


    Thanks Bill for trying.


    abner (Blueyes, as hard as a Diamond as dull as coal) 
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Bill 
      To: Abner Galdos ; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
      Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 5:32 AM
      Subject: Re: [Harp-L] RE: Harp keys cheat sheet - further uses of the Cycle of 5ths


      "I was on stage with two guitarist and one of them kept showing me the 
      chords. Now I don't now music and I don't now how to play the guitar.  So I 
      had no idea what chord he was showing me other then the fact that I might 
      have been playing wrong"

      You can also use the Cycle of Fifths to help you remember your common chord 
      sequences.  For example on a standard I, IV, V blues progression, imagine 
      that the key of the tune is your 1st position, then your IV chord will be in 
      12th position and your V chord will be in 2nd.  So for a blues in C you have 
      C7 for your I chord, F7 for your IV chord and G7 for the V chord.

      It also works for the ii, V, I/i, progressions that you often find in jazz 
      and more sophisticated blues.  Here again if you imagine, the key as 1st 
      postion, the ii chord will be in 3rd position, the V chord in 2nd and the 
      I/i chord in 1st.   So in C major that gives you Dm7, G7 and Cmaj7 or in C 
      minor typically Dm7b5, G7b9 and CmMaj7.

      Hope this is useful

      Bill