Re: [Harp-L] Organ key in "Help Me"

["Eugene Ryan" <ryan.eugene@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ken wrote:
>>In Sonny Boy Williamson's song "One Way Out" there is an organ playing in
>>the background in what I suppose is a minor key.
>>If I wanted to play that organ part of the song can anyone tell me what harp
>>and key I could use?
>>Lee Oskar Natural Minor or Harmonic Minor maybe?

I think the song was played on a Bb harp in 2nd position, in F minor.
If the organ is playing what I think it was playing, it's that 1 b3 4
b3 1 riff.  If you went to play the organ part on a standard Bb blues
harp in F minor, when it goes to the the IV chord (Bbm), the note
naturally available on the blues harp will be D, not Db.  You would
have to overblow to get this note, or use one of the minor tunings as
you suggested.

That should work on a natural minor harp, where you can play the minor
riff in I, IV and V and change chord with it each time.   Lee Oskar
would label the correct harp for this as F nat minor, Hohner would
call it Bb nat minor.

I don't have that record any more, and I'm sitting at my computer
right now, so i may be wrong, but you can check out the first part of
the riff by playing a harp in 3rd position to see if it's a minor.  Eb
harp in 3rd positon = F minor.

I hope that helps.  Natural minor harps are great for minor blues in
2nd position!

Eugene