Fwd: [Harp-L] Unusual old stuff (5th position)

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

I statted off in 5th, trying to play E blues on a C-harp. It worked
but the chords sounded weird and I wondered why. 

Then I heard Charlie McCoy doing 5th beautifully on a Gordon Lightfoot
record (circa 1969, a tune called Crossroads, a Lightfoot original and
nothing to do with the Robert Johnson tune). 

Much later I heard Robert Lee McCoy doing it on a 1929-ish recording
(I think it was Central Stockyard Blues but couldn't swear to it).

So it's been around a long time and been recorded some. It was also
described in Tony Glover's and Blackie Schackner's books, but I think
they both called it 4th instead of 5th - the circle-of-fifths systems
for position naming hadn't yet come into use.

Winslow

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Rick Dempster"
<rick.dempster@...> wrote:

For anyone interested in (unusual) old stuff: I like playing in 5th
position (ie/eg E minor on a C harp) I know there are folks out there
who do it, but I've never heard a recording. I came across a fascinating
illustrated book called 'Jazz Life' by Joachim E. Berendt, so big you
just about need a fork lift to pick it up. Anyway, it has a CD in the
back consisting of a wide variety of Afro/US artists, including an
unaccompanied harp/vocal piece called "Jack of Diamonds" by one  Brother
Percy Randolph, and it's in that position. Running a search on him, I
see that he recorded with Snooks Eaglin at one stage. Don't know when it
was recorded, but my guess is he was doing it a long while back. I'm
surprised you don't hear more of 5th in early playing;seems really
natural for primitive blues, or at least it does to...
Yours truly,
Rick Dempster
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