Re: [Harp-L] Will Scarlett-5th Position

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

5th is almost the same as playing in 2nd. The keynote is 2 blow (or 5
blow, 8 blow) The blues scale in 5th is:
(1D)   2B 3B 3B&bend  3D 4D  5B  6B   6D  7D  8D  8B  9B  10D  
10B&bend
( D )     E   G   A              B   D    E    G     A    B    D    E  
 G     A       B

....this example assumes a C harp.Note that I've put the draw 1 in
brackets, just because it is below the keynote on hole 2B.  The natural
chording (no bends etc.) causes this position to suit tunes that have a
minor chord for both the root (I) chord and the subdominant (IV) chord;
or in other words the first two chords in a blues. The dominant (V) is
usually....er dominant...a major chord (this is where my theory gets a
bit uncertain!)
It's a 'sweeter' sound than 3rd, and while it doesn't suit everything,
it sounds great in the right place and is easy to play.
Hope this helps.
RD

PS Dunno why Chris told you to start 3rd on draw 6, which plays the 5th
of the 3rd position scale. It must be one of those groovy teaching
techniques he's picked up off the Iceman.

>>> <moandabluz@xxxxxxx> 5/06/2007 15:16:21 >>>


I think it was our friend Warren Bee who talked about playing in fifth

position a while back. Since I admire Mr. Bee's playing so much, I've 
been trying to figure it out a little, but I'm very positionally 
challenged. Anybody got any tips that might get me started?  Funny 
sometimes how just one little thing can help. Once at a Buckeye 
Festival, I was trying to understand third position and Chris Michalek

told me to just start on 6 draw and go from there. Still now whenever I

try to use third position, that pops in my head and it does work.
Any help would be appreciated.
Steve "Moandabluz" Webb
still an old fool for the harp in Minnesota


-----Original Message-----
From: mark wilson <markwilson53@xxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Mon, 4 Jun 2007 11:39 pm
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Will Scarlett-5th Position

On Jun 4, 2007, at 7:03 PM, Garry Hodgson wrote: 
 

> will played on tuna's first album "hot tuna", and their second, 

> "first pull up, then pull down".  but hesitation blues is only on 

> the first album, and there is no harp on that version.  don't 

> know where else mark might've heard it. 
 


It's on one of their live albums, but I'm not sure which.  Someone 
mentioned "Live At Berkley", but 

I couldn't locate that disk anywhere on the web.  I'm also trying to 
track down another recording in 

5th by Jr Wells titled "Quit Breakin' Down".  Can't find any info on 
that one either. 
 

I started messing around with 5th after it came up on the list about a

month ago and I'm loving it. 

There's a lot of meat in the 2 and 3 draw bends that can be milked to 
great effect. Unlike 4th position, It 

can be VERY bluesy without sounding too minor. 
 

Unfortunately, there's not a lot of material out there to mine for 
ideas, so any suggestions would be appreciated. 
 

Thanks for all the replies! 

Mark 
 


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