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

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert Coble wrote:
<...3rd position (Dorian mode) is often used for minor blues,
<more so than 4th position (Aeolian mode; natural minor).
<5th position (Phrygian mode) is also minor but not used
<very often for minor blues.

This is all true.  5th position isn't often used, but it's got a unique and very cool sound. When I presented to Joe Filisko's Monday night class at the Old Town school in Chicago a couple of months ago, one of the attendees played a blues in 5th position that sounded very fresh to me.  At first I thought he was using a special tuning--like I said, very fresh.  

<There are some songs that work better using a minor tuned
<harp. A lot depends on what you want to play for the song.
<If you're playing riffs/fills/licks, a minor harp may not
<be useful. If you're playing melody, it might be very
<useful. YMMV.

I'm not sure what this really means--what's the difference between playing a melody and playing a riff or a lick?--but if I do understand it, I don't agree.  Minor tuned harps (especially dorian and natural minors) can be played in 2nd/3rd/4th/etc. positions, just like regular harps.  The scale layouts are the same as a regular harp, except that the third (in the dorian harp) and sixth (in the natural minor) are lowered 1/2 step.  So all the reeds that bend on a normal harp bend just as easily on a minor harp.  You can use all your 2nd and 3rd position riffs on a minor harp--they just sound a little different, which is very cool.  

My pieces "Paris Boogie" and "Minor Kill" were both recorded on natural minor harps played in 2nd position.  You can hear them at http://www.broadjam.com/rhunter.  "Paris Boogie" was listed in the top 10 for various Broadjam blues categories half a dozen times in the last 12 months.  Both songs are pretty riff-y.

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com