RE: [Harp-L] Cross harp Minor scales...

["Eugene Ryan" <ryan.eugene@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jason Ricci wrote:

> > Draw 2, 3 bend a whole step and a half, 3 draw, 4 blow, 4 draw, 4 over
blow,
> > 5 draw, 6 blow. ( strange Egyptian, gypsy scale I don't know the real name
> > of).

It's the 5th mode of harmonic minor.

The notes in the C harmonic minor are:
C D Eb F G Ab B C
1 2 b3  4  5 6   7

If you were playing the C harmonic minor on a C harp, you would have:
C  - hole 4 blow
D  - hole 4 draw
Eb - hole 4 overblow
F  - hole 5 draw
G - hole 6 blow
Ab- hole 6 draw bend 1/2 step
B - hole 7 draw
C - hole 7 blow

If you take the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, you start on G, as
in cross harp as you mention, and then you get:
G Ab B C D Eb F
1 b9 3 4 5 b6 b7

It will work over a G7 (dominant).  It works particularly well in the minor
ii V i jazz progression - so in C minor, you would have
Dm7b5  G7(b9)  Cm
ii           V         i

And the C harmonic minor will work over the whole lot.

I haven't tried the 5th mode of harmonic minor over blues, I must admit!  It
works pretty well for some of the time over Ellington's Caravan in the A
section - particularly because the chords change a 1/2 step up from C to Db
repeatedly.

You'll see the entire minor ii V i in lots of tunes - Kenny Dorham's Blue
Bossa for example.

Anyway, enough of that.  I heard some of your shows on archive.org - sounds
amazing - I love it.  I don't know where you get the energy from, never mind
the chops - must be some breakfast cereal, man!

All the best,
Eugene
http://www.eugeneryan.com