Re: A beginner's question (for a change)

[JOHN THADEN <JJTHADEN@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Max.  Can you bend single notes?  The draw reeds in holes 1-6 bend down in
pitch beautifully because they are in an air chamber with a lower-tuned blow-
reed (actually, the blow reed speaks when you bend the draw note!).  When I 
play cross-harp, some very important notes in the musical scale happen to fall
on drawn notes:
         HOLE #      SCALE POSITION    COMMENT
           1         "5"="so"=dominant  Bend it and you get the flatted 5, used
                                        in blues.
           2         "1"="do"=tonic     Bend it for the major 7th, bend it more
                                        for the dominant 7th = blues seventh.
           3         "3"="mi"=maj 3rd   Bend it for the minor 3rd, used for any
                                        melody in a minor scale, and for blues.
           4         "5" see above      see above.
           5         dominant 7th       Not in the major scale, but songs with
                                        a blues feel often use it instead of
                                        the regular 7th which is 1/2 step up.
                                        Some players file this reed sharp to
                                        get the regular 7th.

In straight harp, the draw notes fall on scale positions 2,5,7,2,4,6,7,&2 as
you work your way up the harp.  As such, they play less central roles, and the
bends do too.  That said, I have to tell you that I play LOTS of straight harp
and it can be as bluesy, as powerful as cross.  Positons are like flavors of
ice cream.

John Thaden