C&W flavor

[Winslow Yerxa <76450.3230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TO: internet:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Norbert asks about playing C&W.

SCALES

The scale you give,

G A B D E

is a G pentatonic (Greek for five-note) scale. You would use this
on a G chord, or on a song in G, not on a C chord, as the B note
would clash with C (unless you're dealing with major seventh
chords, but that's probably another story with a song title like
that).

The pentatonic scale is just a major scale with the fourth and
seventh degrees omitted, as these are the most likely to clash
with a simple major triad (each of these notes is only a semitone
away from a chord note). On a C chord, F would clash with E, and
B with C.

Let's say the tune is in the key of G and uses the chords G, C
and D. You can make pentatonic scales for all three chords on a C
harp.

For G: G A B D E
(also E mi)

      1      2	    3	   4	  5	 6	7      8      9     10
   =======================================================================
DR |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
   |  D   |  G	 |  B	|  D   |      |  A   |	B   |  D   |	  |  A	 |
   |------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------|
   |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
BL |	  |  E	 |  G	|      |   E  |  G   |	    |  E   |  G   |	 |
   =======================================================================


For C: C D E G A
(also A mi)

      1      2	    3	   4	  5	 6	7      8      9     10
   =======================================================================
DR |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
   |	  |  G	 |	|  D   |      |  A   |	    |	D  |	  |  A	 |
   |------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------|
   |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
BL |  C   |  E	 |  G	|  C   |  E   |  G   |	C   |	E  |  G   |  C	 |
   =======================================================================



For D: D E F# A B
(also B mi)

      1      2	    3	   4	  5	 6	7      8      9     10
   =======================================================================
DR |	  |	 |  B	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
   |  D   | (F#) | (A)	|  D   |      |  A   |	B   |  D   |	  |  A	 |
   |------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------|
   |	  |	 |	|      |      |      |	    |	   |	  |	 |
BL |	  |  E	 |	|      |  E   |      |	    |	E  |	  |	 |
   =======================================================================

NOTE in (parentheses) are bent.

F# in the middle range is your only tricky note you can bend for
it in the outer ranges. What if there are minor chords? Well, if
the minor chords happen to be E minor, A minor, or B minor, and
there's a good chance they will be in the key of G, then the same
3 pentatonic scales will fit those, too, as noted above. The
sixth degree of a major scale is called the relative minor, and
it can often use the same scale.

I'd try playing all three of these scales all the way up and down
the harp, and work out little licks on them. They're *very*
useful.

=================================================================
QUICK STUDY TIP: SCALES

If this looks like too much stuff to process in one day, here's a
simple guideline:

Use the G pentatonic scale. On a C chord, omit the B and use C.
On a D chord, omit the G and use F#. Except for these notes, the
scales overlap:

D Chord:    F#	 A  B	 D  E  F#
G Chord:      G  A  B	 D  E	 G
C Chord:      G  A    C  D  E	 G
=================================================================

Too much has been said about avoiding that bad old too-flat draw
5 in country music. Not all country music is in a pure major
scale. Some of it uses modes, and a *lot* of it uses blues chords
and scales. If you're careful, you can use that nasty old note,
even in major tunes.

BENDING & VIBRATO

As far as not using bends or vibrato in country, whoever says
that is in dreamland. What is the steel guitar all about if it
isn't bending? And what about Charlie McCoy? He bends all over
the place, and uses a lot of blues techniques.

There are older, purer styles, like some varieties of bluegrass
and stringband music, that avoid vibrato, but I wouldn't scruple
about it in mainline country, which is a hybrid music. Most
country singers use it. A heavy blues vibrato might not be the
right thing, but there are many other possibilities, including
hand vibrato. Listen to what those around you are doing in this
regard, and adjust your sound to fit (which is not to say conform
- sometimes a contrasting sound can really be good).

CHORDING

Chording has two aspects, the notes and the rhythm. Look
carefully at the chord progression and see where you can get two
and three note combinations on the harp that fit, and use them.
The rhythm is, again, a matter of fitting with your surroundings.
Do you have the original record? Do you have a rehearsal or other
tape of the guys you'll be playing with? Are the versions
similar? If yes to any of the above, play along with them. Listen
to what the drums and the rhythm guitars are doing. Try imitating
their rhythms, then find something that locks in with them. Start
fairly simple.

==================================================================
QUICK STUDY TIP: RHYTHM

For the I-need-to-come-up-with-something-right-now predicament,
see if you can come up with a simple characteristic rhythm you
could hum or beat out if you were to try to demonstrate the basic
rhythm of the tune to someone who had never heard it. Then build
on that.

You can also play simple lines that ride the chords. For
instance, you could play a long B on a G chord, then move to the
neighboring note, C, for the C chord, and so on.
===================================================================

Hope this helps.

Winslow.