RE: [Harp-L] Can I play minor songs on the major harps?

[Warren Bee <wlb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brad,

Please don't apologize for playing anything. I think it is way cool that you
have the talent to pull off the Tull riffs and that your band is open mined
enough to let you do it. One of my biggest beefs is this concept that
certain things are below the "serious" harp player's radar screen. A great
example is the ridiculous argument that playing Mustang Sally is a disgrace
for "serious" players. We are entertainers first and foremost in 99% of the
gigs we play. My guess is that when you play Tull on harp eyes get wider and
people dig the bad-ass sound that your tin-sandwich puts out. Rock on
brother, rock on.

I am finally serious about putting together my solo project. I am not just
gonna play the blues or stereotypical harp stuff all the way through. My
initial set list will include: Dylan, The Beatles, Sonny & Cher, Jan Hammer,
Americana, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, War, The Stones and more. Think Little
Walter meets Mitch Miller! People love to hear familiar tunes that they know
the words to. This makes them feel included not excluded. The show takes
place in the whole room, not just on stage. That's how I figure it anyway.
Every man/woman needs to pick their own poison.

Warren Bee on a Mission

-----Original Message-----
From: Bradford Trainham [mailto:btrainham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 4:37 AM
To: Warren Bee
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Can I play minor songs on the major harps?

I shouldn't admit to this... but a band I'm currently in... has me
playing the flute solo on Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath which is in
e minor on a g diatonic.
It works well for that application because the solo ends up with a
passage that builds on a g-a-b progression before going back to e
minor. 
I tried it on a Lee Oskar harmonic minor, but for that song, and
really that song alone, I get better results with the g harp doing e
minor. 
Another maddeningly popular old classic rock/folkish tune that allows
us to do this is of course "Heart of Gold from Neel Young. 
So I guess we can tentatively conclude that if a minor song features
prominently a modulation to its relative major, you're generally in
good shape with a harp in that relative major key. 
("Duh?")
Brad Trainham
On Thu, 10 May 2007 01:55:37 -0400, you wrote:

>5th position is by far my favorite way to play minor on a major harp.
>Explore and you will be all smiles. I think it lays out nicer than 3rd and
>leaves more room for "emotion". Just my opinion though. I fake in all
>positions :-)
>
> 
>
>WBee
>
> 
>
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