Re: Positions, chromatics, jams and an unholy mess

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Mark, 

The best and easiest tool for figuring out which
key diatonic harp to pick up for any desired
position is the Circle of Fifths.

Circle of Fifths

                   C
                F     G
              Bb        D
             Eb          A
              Ab        E
                Db     B
                   F#


Say the song is in Dm and you want to play over it
in third position. Look at your chart and find D.
Count D as "1" and count 1, 2, 3 to the LEFT. Pick
up your C harp and play in third position. 

Works for every position you know (and all the ones
you don't). If the song were in D maj and you
wanted to play in 2nd, count 1, 2 (starding on D)
and pick up your G harp. Say you wanted to play in
5th position over a song in Dm. Count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
to the left (starting on D) and pick up your Bb
harp. 

Easy, easy, easy.

Print this chart (or create your own). Laminate it
and keep it in your harp kit. Invaluable tool.

Hope this helps. 

Harpin' in Colorado,
- --Ken M.



- --- Mark Crowley <Mark.Crowley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> 
> hi
> 
> Been falling on my face at jams too much lately 
> - 3/4s of the music played isn't blues -  its all
> minor key "new rock" (not that I mind the
> different music)
> 
> there is a belief out there that all songs can be
> played either cross or straight harp. If yr lucky
> and the guitarist does happen to know what key
> the piece is in they'll always demand thats the
> same key harp yu need.  Eg, if it's a song in A
> you obviously need an A harp. simple - quit yr
> whining.
> 
> Have been learning 3rd position and lately 4th
> and 5th position..... to try and maintain a
> semblance of playing in key
> 
> This is still no remedy - its taking up to half
> the song to figure out what I should be playing -
> juggling up to 3 or 4 harps - or walking away in
> disgust playing nothing at all.
> 
> Does a single chromatic solve these problems?
> 
> At least a single chromatic can provide you with
> all the notes to learn lots and lots of scales in
> different modes and keys -  doesn't it? (I
> realise we are talking about going back to square
> one and years and years of work here)
> 
> But don't chroms have different layouts too.. in
> diff keys... so you are still going to possibly
> require an armory of those? (lets not talk about
> overblows on diatonics, please - i will never be
> the guy that plays 12 keys on a diatonic)
> 
> whats the point of a valved diatonic (suzuki
> promasters) versus a chromatic?
> 
> should i be looking at determining the most
> common keys these characters are playing in and
> fitting up with those minor key LO's instead?
> 
> or should i buy a chrom in C and start learning
> my scales all over again? 
> or do I buy 3 chroms in different keys as well?
> 
> I've been looking at key charts, scale charts,
> harp charts until my pupils are spinning..
> 
> Wile E Coyote -  falling off that cliff into
> space every day - thats me.
> 
> mark
> 
> 
> 
> --
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=====
"When you speak of Walter Horton, the first thing you think of is his tone, that big, fat tone."
- ---Li'l Ronnie Owens

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