RE: Positions

["Stephen Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

Chris Michalek:

>To effectively play in other positions in one needs to have rudimentary 
>knowledge of music theory.


>Steve Shaw:

>I'd argue slightly with that.  I was playing Irish tunes in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 
>4th and 12th before I knew >any rudiments.  I was just copying what I 
>heard.
>Maybe you need a rudimentary knowledge of music to KNOW that you're playing 
>in positions...

Chris Michalek:

>From a mechanical standpoint those are the easiest positions to play and 
>from a twelve tone >perspective you're only using 25% of the available 
>positions. My opinion in this matter is not >swayed. :-)

Steve:
Well that's as maybe but the fact remains that I could do it in my genre 
without knowing much about the rudiments of music.  What I learned in my 
ignorant dark days was as much as any harp player in the Irish tradition 
needed to know about positions, before I even knew the meaning of the term. 
Try to find an example of positions other than the ones I mentioned in 
Irish.  You'll find it quite hard.  My early lack of education in the 
rudiments was not limiting in this regard.  I am most decidedly not 
preaching the value of ignorance here.  I have gone to great pains to get 
myself musically-educated in the last few years, both formally and 
informally.  It has been of great benefit.  But "positions" to me are just 
different kinds of blow-draw patterns, and even now in my "enlightened 
years" I can be playing a melody that I've been playing for years and be 
mistaken about what position I'm in.  I don't care that much to be honest, 
because it matters not one jot or tittle as to how well I play the thing.  
It's nice to know that in a medley I achieved a key-change (OK, mode-change) 
that gave a lift to the music by going from 3rd to 1st, or 2nd to 1st, but I 
could do that without knowing the meaning of such technicalities or sitting 
down and thinking too much about it.  It's interesting to know about 
positions but it isn't really going to make you a better musician.  The 
issue of positions seems to be a bit of an obsession to some, out of all 
proportion sometimes.

Peace!

Steve


Want more than the blues?  Try Irish!
http://mysite.freeserve.com/trad_irish_harmonica

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