Fwd: [Harp-L] Harmonica Positions

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxx> 
wrote:
Okay, I have a question about harmonica positions: what 
determines "position" on a harmonica?  

<snip>

Is it the root note 
of the harmonica, or the root note of the primary tuning?  

==================

If only it were so straighforward. In fact, it's a sort of floating 
cultural artifact. That said, there is a logic behind it.

I have always maintained that position is determined by the 
relationship between the key of the instrument and the key of the 
tune, regardless of other factors. However, to accomodate that rule 
to things like Melody Maker tuning, we have to ask what determines 
the key of the instrument.

Let's start with the assumption of so-called Richter tuning, as shown 
here for a C harp:

C E G C E G C E G C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
D G B D F A B D F A

The labeled key of the harmonica is C.

The scale is a C major scale.

The blow chord is C.

The first note (i.e. lowest on pitch) is also C.

We can say that C is first position.

Now, let's say we add an extra hole to the left of Hole 1:

B C E G C E G C E G
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
G D G B D F A B D F

In fact, such harmonicas have been made in the past by German 
manufacturers other than Hohner.

The labeled key and blow chord are still C and the scale is still a C 
major scale.

So the lowest note is now G. But this is a trivial change and does 
not alter the key of the instrument or the nature of the blow chord. 
C is still first position. True, the familiar prtion of the note 
layout, and consequently all playing action patterns, move one hole 
to the right. Once this adjustment is made, playing is identical 
within the notes held in common by the two tunings. 
Now let's take it a step further and dive into murkier waters:

Let's go back to standard Richter and change note note in the tuning:

C E G C E  G C E G C
1 2 3 4 5  6 7 8 9 10
D G B D F# A B D F A

We now have so-called country tuning. Not that we didn't alter the F 
in Hole 9 to F#, only the one in Hole 5.

The lowest note is still C and the blow chord is still C. However, 
the scale is sometimes a C major scale and sometimes a G major scale, 
which differ by only one note (F in the C scale, F# in the G scale).

It's safe to say that we've made an "accidental" change, to use the 
standard musical term, in one place. While this facilitates playing a 
scale other than the C major scale, nothing else changes. Is this 
harmonica in C or in G? Actually it's in both. Here I'd give the 
benefit of the doubt and say it's a slightly altered C instrument and 
the standard position deescriptions still hold - i.e. first position 
is C, second is G, and so on.

Let's kick it up a notch with Melody Maker (tm) tuning:

C E A C E  G C E G  C
1 2 3 4 5  6 7 8 9  10
D G B D F# A B D F# A

We've changed BLow 3 from G to A but this does not affect the key. 
However, both the F notes are raised to F#. Clearly this gives the 
instrument a consistent G major scale.

On this instrument we could call G first position (even though it's 
amost identical to what we normally call second). We could relabel D 
from third position to second, A from fourth to third, and so on.

Ugh!

So, is there any logical basis for avoiding this inconvenient and 
confusing re-labeling of familiar positions?

Before answering that question, let's take a side trip. Lee Oskar 
states that harps in the Melody Maker (tm) tuning are "labeled in 
second position" - in other words, in the tuning above, even though 
it is labeled as a G harp, the key of G is still second position.

Lee makes a similar statement about his natural minor tuning:

C Eb G  C Eb G C  Eb G C
1 2  3  4 5  6 7  8  9 10
D G  Bb D F  A Bb D  F A

This could be viewed as taking a Richter C harp and tuning E and B 
one semitone flat wherever they occur.

Now if we still look on this as a C harmonica, we could say it's 
tuned to the C dorian scale. First position would gives us a C dorian 
scale (unless we start bending and overblowing), second position 
would give us G natural minor, third position would give us D 
phrygian, and so on.

This implied logic is the theoretical underpinning for Lee's 
statement that this instrument is labeled in second position.

So let's go back and apply the same logic to Melody Maker tuning:

C E A C E  G C E G  C
1 2 3 4 5  6 7 8 9  10
D G B D F# A B D F# A

If this is labeled in second position as Lee states, then the logical 
corollary is that first position is C, with the reeds tuned to a C 
Lydian scale instead of a C Ionian scale.

This logic allows us to keep the familiar labels attached to the 
familiar note/action structures on a mostly-familiar tuning. However, 
changes in the notes of the scale make for a change in flavor (or 
color or whatever works for you) of the scale and chords.

Now you could make the argument that a C Lydian scale is "really" a G 
major scale and that the C Lydian scale is just a mode of that scale, 
so G really is first position instead of second, C is 12th instead of 
first, D is second instead of third and so on. But which approach 
makes your life easier?

Winslow