Re: Key Q's

[Mike Curtis <wd6ehr@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> > Mustang Sally is in C, so you would need an F harp. Oh well.
> > 
> The F harp is ok, but I prefer the Bb harp in third position.  The Bb 
> facillitates the ease of playing horn lines along with the horn section 
> if you have one.  Also the Bb won't sound as screamy as the F.  The low F 
> can work, but I find the responsiveness of the longer reeds too slow.

I do Mustang Sally in C using a valved C harp (as always) in first position. 
The low notes are nice, but the high notes played sort of "Jimmy Reed" style
really get the audience going.  If you use windsavers, there are some really
nice blow-bends in the middle octave that can be used to complement the high
note stuff.

I believe it is good to experiment with different positions.  While it has
much potential, I find playing exclusively in second position to be
extremely limiting.  Most second position is done on just the lower draw
notes - or as someone else said (I forget who offhand), it's like playing on
just 20% of the instrument.  And figuring there are 12 positions, we can
mathematically drop that figure to about 2%!  Yes, it's a great 2%, but it's
still only a small fraction.

And congratulations, Chris, on "tying the knot".



 -- mike