Re: Other positions

[Bruce Steinberg <bruces@xxxxxxx>]

        From: rocket@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Rick Barker)
        Subject: Other positions
        
        >Could someone post a list of Little Walter songs (or any other
        >easy to find blues recording) that show good examples of playing in
        >different positions?
        
        Here's a list of some 3rd position stuff that I know off the top of my head:
        
        Artist          Album                   Songs( song key/harp key(s) )
        ========================================================================
        Musselwhite     Louisiana Fog           Louisiana Fog(E/D), Leavin'(D/C)
        Musselwhite     Takin' My Time          Wild, Wild Woman(A/G,D)
        Butterfield     Fathers & Sons          I'm Ready(D/C,G)
        Madcat          Sky King                Several cuts
        Magic Dick      J. Geils Band           Cruisin' For Love(G/G)
        
        This last one is in first position. The live cut is in A on an A harp but
        the studio version is in G on a G.
        
////////////////

A couple more off the top of my head, too (sorry, no keys -- it's
been a while, and I don't have them here with me):

Musselwhite     Comin' at You (first album)     Christo Redentor
Butterfield     East-West                       East-West (solo)
Butterfield     Resurrection of Pigboy C...     One More Heartache


At first, I was going to note that all these are not really
"blues," but as I thought about at least "Christo" and
"Heartache," I realized that's ~exactly~ what they are.

While "Christo Redentor" (by Duke Pearson) was a 1963 Donald Byrd
jazz trumpet piece, and "One More Heartache" was a Top 10 1966
Motown hit for Marvin Gaye, they are both basically built on
classic 12-bar blues changes, and there is much to be learned
from them about some 3rd-position basics.

(I also think it's much to the credit of southsiders Musselwhite
and Butterfield for showcasing these examples of successfully
mining other genres for great blues material one won't find just
listening to "Blues" anthologies.)

And even the no-changes "East-West" offers a long, minor-key bed
over which to practice stretching one's 3rd-position chops (as
well as a killer Butterfield clinic on draw-3 bend throat 
vibrato :).

(And BTW, if this question wasn't meant to be limited to
diatonic, let's not forget all the classic Chicago blues use of
3rd-position chromatic, by LW and others.)  B*