RE: [Harp-L] Path of Least Resistance (was Position Perception)

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

<snip>
> In essesnce, my solution was the "path of least
> resistance."
>
> I wonder how many others out there go through
> similar shenanigans when tackling a new song. It
> took me quite a while to find what worked for me. I
> went throught the same process when learning
> "Nobody Knows You" (with help, finally, from Peter
> Ruth), "Willin'" (the Little Feat song), and other
> non-blues type tunes.
>
> Do others go through this process? If so, is there
> more of a method to your madness than the blind
> trial-and-error I use?
>
> Harpin' in Colorado,
> --Ken M.

I am in awe of the people who can play anything on a C diatonic, but that is 
never a path I could go down.  I want to play my tunes the easiest way 
possible, which for me means no overblows and minimal 
bending-to-get-missing-notes (bending for expression is an entirely 
different matter).  I need to concentrate on clean expression and 
articulation and a good, driving rhythm in my Irish dance-tunes.  I'm 
nowhere near good enough at overblows or accurate/crisp enough with my bends 
in fast tunes to incorporate them yet still achieve those goals.  Sometimes 
there will be a tune that could be played in first position but which would 
also work in Mixolydian mode, second position. It could be slightly more 
awkward to play it in 2nd but to do so would be preferable if the tune was 
in a medley with another first-position tune - you then have a key-change 
(OK guys - mode-change) in the medley which gives added lift.  So you could 
be taking the path of slightly-less-than-least-resistance for musical 
reasons (if you blues-types are wondering why I regard second position as 
slightly harder, remember that I'm talking about playing fast melodies way 
up the harp, in the second and third octaves).  Most people I know of who 
play Irish (including Messrs Power and Conway) use Paddy Richter tuning to 
get the missing 6th note in the lowest octave, even though it's possible to 
get the note by bending.  That's kind of an example of "least resistance."  
If it's good enough for those two guys it's good enough for me!

Steve


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