Re: [Harp-L] New topic added about âintervalsâ (effortless harmonica)

[Abner <cdgaldos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you oh so much. This is making it a. It easier for me to understand. 

Thank you for putting so much effort into typing all this. 
I really do appreciate your helping me out. 

This is what I have found to be at the heart of Harp-L

Thank you all for sending my tide   bits of help. 

Abner GaldÃs



On Feb 21, 2011, at 9:53 PM, michael rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Abner,
> Do you have a C and a G harp?  Can you play Oh Suzannah starting on
> hole 4 blow?  When you do, you can play it moving your mouth over the
> same hole numbers.  The song still sounds like the song, but it is
> higher pitched on the C harp and lower pitched on the G harp.  The
> song is in different keys and the two different note layouts on the
> two different harps.  The reason why the song still sounds like the
> songs is because the amount of keyboards notes between each hole is
> the same from harmonica to harmonica.  For example, the notes on a
> keyboard (using the sharp names) are C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B.
> The next note would be the next highest C.
> 
> Let's look at the first two notes of the song.  Well I (come from
> Alabama)  Well is played on 4 blow and I is played on 4 draw on both
> harps.  On a C harp 4 blow is the note C.  4 draw is the note D.  How
> much higher is D from C on the keyboard?
> 
> C  C#  D
> 0   1    2
> 
> Two notes higher.  On a G harmonica, 4 blow is G.  What is two
> keyboard notes higher than G?
> 
> G   G#  A
> 0    1    2
> 
> A is two keyboard notes higher than G.  Than means 4 draw on a G harp
> is the note A.  Because the distance between 4 blow and 4 draw is
> always two keyboard notes on any standard  tuned harmonica, you can
> play Oh Suzannah on any harp starting with 4 blow and moviung your
> mouth the same way.
> 
> But there is more than one way to play Oh Suzannah on a harp.  All you
> have to do if find a note on a harp and find two keyboard notes higher
> than that, played those two notes consecutively and you will hear the
> first two notes of Oh Suzannah.
> 
> For example, 2 draw on a C harmonica is the note G.  What is two
> keyboard notes higher than G?  A is.  We showed that a minute ago.
> Where is the A that is close to 2 draw on the C harp?  3 draw double
> bend or hole 3 draw lowered two keyboard notes.  Therefore if you were
> to play 2 draw followed by 3 draw double bend, it would sound like the
> beginning of OH Suzannah.
> 
> When we played Oh Suzannah on our C harp starting on 4 blow, the first
> note was C.  This was Oh Suzannah in the key of C.  Not every song in
> the key of C begins with the note C, but a lot of them do.
> 
> When we played Oh Suzannah on our C harp starting on 2 draw, the first
> note was G.  This was Oh Suzannah in the key of G.
> 
> We have a C harmonica, but we are playing it in a key that is
> different than C.  Because of blow notes, draw notes, bent notes and
> overblow notes, every note is available on every harmonica from the
> range of 1 blow to 10 blow (even further if you overdraw 10).
> 
> That means you can play in any key on any harmonica.  You can play any
> scale you want.  Even if you cannot bend or overblow, if you have most
> of the notes in a scale, you can play in that scale.  I say scale as
> opposed to saying key because the scale used for happy music is
> different than the scale used for sad music.  One key may have many
> scales that create different feelings.  If you have most of the notes
> in a scale of a certain key, you can play that feeling in that key.
> 
> The numbering system for positions used to relate to which position
> people usually found first.  First position means playing in the same
> key as the name of the harp.  That's usually the style people find
> first.  Second position refers to the most common way people play
> blues, with 2 draw as the home base note.  Normally people find that
> way of playing next.
> 
> Nowadays the numbering system is based on the circle of fifths.  The
> circle of fifths is a concept people use to help visualize musical
> ideas.  What you do is start with the do re mi scale of any key find
> the fifth note in that scale, the so note.
> 
> DO re mi fa so
> 1    2  3   4   5
> 
> in the C major scale, the so note, or the fifth note, is G.
> 
> C  D   E  F   G
> 1   2   3  4   5
> 
> The next scale in the circle would therefore be the G major scale.
> 
> The fifth note in the G major scale is D
> 
> G A B C D
> 1  2 3 4  5
> 
> The next scale in the circle would be the D scale.
> 
> If you kept doing this you would ultimately return to the C scale.
> That is why it is called a circle.  Since there are twelve keys, it is
> often visualized as a clock.
> 
> Create a clock with C in the midnight spot, G in the 1 o'clock spot, D
> in the two o'clock spot.  Continue with A E B F# C# Ab Eb Bb F.  You
> should have a filled out clock.
> 
> If you play a C harp in the key of C, that is first position.  If you
> play a G harp in the key of G, that is first position.  Playing Oh
> Suzannah with 4 blow as the starting note is an example of first
> position.
> 
> Put your finger on C and say 1.  Move clockwise and say 2.  WHat key
> is 2 on?  G.  If you play in the key of G on a C harp, that is second
> position.
> 
> Put your finger on G and say 1.  Move clockwise and say 2.  What key
> is 2 on?  D.  If you play in the key of D on a G harp, that is second
> position.  Playing Oh Suzannah starting with 2 draw on any harp is a
> good example  of 2nd position because 2 draw is always the fifth note,
> the so note, of the major scale with the same name as the harp.
> 
> Put your finger on C and say 1.  Move clockwise two times and say 2
> then 3.  What key is 3 on?  D.  Playing in the key of D on a C harp is
> third position.
> 
> RD said this  "Abner;
>>          On a piano, without leaving the white keys, you can play in
>> C major, D minor, E minor, A minor, G major (but with a flat 7th note)
>>          On a ten hole diatonic harp, you can do all of this without
>> bending, and, with bends, play some of the black notes too.
>>         That's making it as simple as I can."
> 
> Do you remember how I said if you can play most of the notes in a
> scale you can play that scale?  RD is pointing out that without
> bending or overblowing, all of the notes on a C harp are white keys on
> the keyboard.  He is pointing out that some scales in C major, D
> minor, E minor, etc are scales that use only white keys.  Therefore
> playing in the C major scale on a C harp is a position, the D minor
> scale on a C harp is a position, etc.  This is an oversimplification.
> It may be a great starting point but it leaves out many possibilities.
> 
> Essentially positions are playing in multiple keys on one harmonica as
> measured numerically by that key's clockwise distance on the circle of
> fifths from the name of the harp.  If you move your mouth the same way
> on another keyed harp, you will still be playing in the same position,
> but the key (and high and lowness of the notes) with change based on
> using the harp's name as the new starting point on the circle.
> 
> Whew!
> 
> Hopefully that helps.  We can always do a skype lesson or two.  I am
> not trying to take business away from your coach, it is called cross
> training.
> Michael Rubin
> Michaelrubinharmonica.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 6:35 PM, Abner <cdgaldos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> I'm sorry guys I'm just dumb as a sack full of hammers.
>> I will save this and one day I will hit me.
>> Thanks
>> 
>> Abner GaldÃs
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Feb 21, 2011, at 5:29 PM, "Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> 
>>> Abner;
>>>           On a piano, without leaving the white keys, you can play in
>>> C major, D minor, E minor, A minor, G major (but with a flat 7th note)
>>>           On a ten hole diatonic harp, you can do all of this without
>>> bending, and, with bends, play some of the black notes too.
>>>          That's making it as simple as I can.
>>> RD
>>> 
>>>>>> Abner <cdgaldos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 22/02/2011 3:04 >>>
>>> For some reason the page would not load.
>>> But maybe you guys can help me. I am still so confused about playing
>>> position on a harp. 1st 2nd 3rd and so on. It seems to me that on let
>>> say the C harp with 10 holes your still playing the same holes.
>>> Ok, I'm still an infant here, I play at Open Mic and jam with real
>>> players on Sunday. They seem to love my sound. But when I read harp
>>> book, see Vid's I'm still lost.
>>> I have a mentor (Richard Perkins, dame good player ) who  is a member
>>> of harp l and he tries his best but I'm  dumb and thick headed when it
>>> comes to learning.
>>> Sorry for this weak, interruption.
>>> 
>>> Abner GaldÃs
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Feb 21, 2011, at 10:14 AM, Wim Dijkgraaf <w.dijkgraaf@xxxxxx>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Today I added a new main menu called âmasteryâ. This menu will be
>>> used for exercises and examples about mastering your instrument and
>>> basic building blocks in music (intervals, chords, etc.).
>>>> 
>>>> This week is all about intervals, the main building block for
>>> constructing melodies and harmonies.
>>>> 
>>>> For you to get a first impression about this new item called
>>> âmasteryâ, check out an improvisation based on the interval of a
>>> minor third. Here is the link:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> [url]http://www.effortlessharmonica.com/harmonica-how-to-play/mastery/intervals/[/url]
>>>> 
>>>> Have fun!
>>>> 
>>>> Wim
>>> 
>> 
>>