[Harp-L] Finding the Position - "Summertime"

[George Brooks <gbrooks1@xxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with Tim Moyer that it's good to try a tune in a number of 
positions to see where it lays out best and to expand one's musical 
reach.  I usually play Summertime in 4th position (Am on a C harp).  
The song lays out perfectly without overblows or overdraws.  You do 
have to bend accurately for the A in the lower register (3rd hole draw 
bent down a whole tone).  In the upper register, you don't even need 
bends to play the melody.  The first three notes in this position (all 
blow) are 5-4-5 or 8-7-8.

I disagree with Tim, though, when he states:  "There are only 2 Bs on a 
C harp...."  I guess you could customize a harp to have only two by 
blocking hole 10 with putty, but one of the glories of the short harp 
is its three octave range.  Ten hole C harmonicas in standard Marine 
Band tuning have Bs at 3 draw, 7 draw, and the intermediate (half-step) 
blow bend in hole 10.

This gives you another option for playing the song in 5th position.  
The first three notes in this position in the upper register are 10 
half-step blow bend-9 blow-back to the 10 half-step blow bend.  You no 
longer need an overblow; instead, you have to be able to hit the 9 hole 
blow bend.  And, of course, the hole 10 half-step (intermediate) blow 
bend.  Personally, I think 5 OB is an easier note and 4th a more 
natural position, but it's good to stretch, and your blow bends will 
get stronger (they'll have to!) if you practice the song in 5th 
position in the upper register.

George