Re: Playing in C

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Jp wrote:
> i find C a real pain to play in, because it's either
> regular F harp which is too high (hard to bend the low notes, the high notes
> call dogs) or a low F, which is OK on the high end but kind of boring, and
> the low end is sluggish and easily lost in the mix. my parts are mostly horn
> parts, and i mostly need the C major scale plus Eb and Bb (and Gb
> sometimes). any tips?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record
At the risk of sounding like a broken record
oh, sorry...
When I was first learning to play, probably my singular inspiration -- before I
"discovered" Paul Butterfield -- was the classic J. Geils Band recording, "Live
- - Full House".  There are several tunes on this album in C ("First I Look at the
Purse", "Pack Fair and Square", "Lookin' for a Love"), but on the first song,
"First I Look at the Purse", Magic Dick Salwitz uses an interesting technique. 
The rhythm part, admittedly very simple, is played on a Bb harp in 3rd position,
and when it comes to the solo, Dick pulls out the regular F harp and wails. 
This is very effective, as the rhythm parts tend to fold into the background
very well in the lower register, and the higher register F harp cuts through the
noise to stand out well for the solo.  If you want to stay in 2nd position you
could achieve a similar effect by switching between a low F for the rhythm and
the regular F, or --even better-- use an F Hohner 365 SBS (Steve Baker Special),
which is like a regular F with an extra lower octave.  This harp covers it all!

Good luck,

- -tim