Re: high-end harp

[Mike Curtis <wd6ehr@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> Okay, you harp-lers.  I couldn't help but notice a distinct lack of 
> responses to my question of last Saturday.  I must have worded it wrong 
> because I'm sure several of you could have helped me out.  So this is my 
> question:
> 
> When I hear jazz harp players, and someone who verges on jazz play at the 
> high end like Sugar Blue, what mode are these people playing in?  I have 
> a working knowledge of 1st (straight), 2nd (crossed), and 3rd 
> (dorian--thank you) positions, and these jazz harp players I'm lumping 
> Sugar Blue in with don't seem to be doing any of these.  Am I mistaken?  
> Or if I'm right, what position is it, and how does that translate with, 
> say, a C harp.  
> 
> I promise I won't give the secret away unless I get a good fat bribe.  

"Position" would technically refer to the key in which you're playing as 
related to the key of the harp.  When you play simpler stuff with simpler 
riffs, it's easy to classify things according to "position".  Because of 
this, it is easy to view a certain lick as "belonging" to a position.

When one gets into more complex types of music, like jazz, there are 
requirements for more complex riffing, and the licks become more 
complex.  Many jazz tunes can be broken down into segments having 
different keys.  If you read music, you'll frequently find segments with 
different key signatures.  If you don't read music, at the beginning of 
the music, we show the notes that are normally flatted (lowered half a 
tone) or sharped (raised half a tone) from the "natural" tones (the white 
keys on a piano - or the notes normally found on a C major diatonic 
harp.  For each different key, there is a "key signature", which is the 
required sharps or flats.  For example, G has one sharped note (e.g. the 
key signature is "one sharp"), F has one flat, D has 2 sharps, B flat has 
2 flats, etc.  Each time we change key for any appreciable amount of 
time, we use a different key signature.  A good example of this is the 
old bigband era tune "What's New", which starts in A, goes to C, to A 
minor, and D major and F major on the bridge.

If a tune changes key, but we still use the same harp, then the "position" 
is changed.  But if you're still in the key of G, and using a C harp,
you're still playing in second position - even if you're playing the same
lick you might use in C, D minor, A minor, etc.  "Licks" don't determine 
position - the key of the harp relative to the key of the song are the 
sole determinants of position.

You can play different SCALES in a particular position, and I think this 
is the more "correct" term to describe your question.  Sugar Blue uses 
what would be considered fairly straightforward mixolydian and dorian 
mode scales, with a few interesting variants thrown in.

But it's not so much his scales in and of themselves as it is his
combination of speed and taste that makes his playing so nice.  And of
course, he's very clean, too.  In fact, the only fault I find in his
playing is his use of the 7 draw (major third) in what really should to my
ear be a minor third scale.  (Of course, this can be written off as
"style", too :-) However, I understand WHY he does it.  The only way to
get this note on a major diatonic is either with overblowing or using a
valved harp. 

If you're interested in playing jazz (or just want to be a better blues
player), you might want to study jazz music theory.  Most of this is
designed for horn or keyboard players, but it still applies very much to
anyone who wants to play jazz, even diatonic harmonicists. 

Some people look for the "fast, one sentence answer" to this, but there 
isn't one.  It takes knowledge, technique, and at least three hours of 
practice :-)

Many jazz players base their solo work around a particular scale, or group
of scales.  Anyone interested in playing jazz harmonica would do well to
learn various scales and how to apply them to improvisational situations. 



 -- mike