[Harp-L] 5th position

["Mick Zaklan" <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   I'm not a particularly theoretical guy, Rick; but if you're asking if I
play the 1 1/2 step bend on the 3rd draw while playing the blues in 5th,
well sure.  Or I'll pick it up on the 6 draw as a half step bend.  I start
"CC Rider" on that note (3rd hole deep bend).  I often play it right after
the 3 blow, the equivalent of that "hillbilly" bend in cross harp when we
hit the 3rd hole draw a half step down and ease it up to the 3rd draw.  I
use it all the time, "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl" would be a good
example.
   I don't knock scales, but they just don't work for me.  Some guys feel if
they learn a scale and a handful of hot dog riffs, then they're playing in
that position.  To me, you have to actually live there.  I force myself to
learn tunes, melodies, song heads in the position.  Then try to make them
sing.  If you're looking for easy blues tunes that lay well in 5th:
   1)  Blow and draw your 2nd hole and you've got the start of Willie
Dixon's "Spoonful".  With very little effort, the whole melody is there.
And the opening riff can be played up and down the entire harp and in
octaves further up.
   2)  Blow and draw your 2nd hole again, make a couple bends on 3 draw and
you've got Dixon's "Wang Wang Doodle".  Again, the melody is there.  The
"Smokestack Lightning" riff and tune aren't very far removed from this,
either.
   3)  If you want something a little more complicated; blow 5, draw 4, blow
4, draw 3.  You've just produced the vamp for "Hit the Road, Jack".  Sounds
fuller with some octaves.  Again, with some finagling the melody is there.
You can probably play Ray's part low and the female singer's part high.
   4)  Draw 3, 4, 3, 4, and blow 5.  Make it fuller with some octaves.
You've just started "Hoochie Coochie Man".  Keep the riff going and pick up
the melody on the high end.
   5)  Draw 7, 6, blow 6 and 5.  Repeat it and finish it with 4 draw and 5
blow.  You've just started Junior Wells' "Little by Little".  There are cool
bass lines you can play on the bottom and, again, the notes are there to
match the lyrics.
   6)  Draw 7, blow 6, draw 7.  What a beautiful position this is for
"Summertime" except for the damn overblow you have to hit and
hold on "high" ("when the cotton is high").  I usually chicken out grab that
note on hole 9 blow or 2 draw, both half bends.  Otherwise, everything else
seems to lie pretty easy on the harp.  Warren Bee took a beautiful solo on
this in 5th several years ago at a SPAH convention, if I recall correctly.
   I should mention that I use this position predominantly for the keys of A
and G on low F and low Eb harps.  Bought a low C a while back so I could use
it the most common blues key of all, E.  I also use the Ab harp in the key
of C.
   Again, I'm not a theoretical guy but the beauty of this position is that
it seems to lie right between major and minor and you can grab a piece of
each while you're soloing.  And the note sequences seem to be similar to
cross in that I'm playing about the same ratio of draw notes to blow notes
and not reversing my breath as much as I would in 4th position.  If that
makes any sense; it's just a very smooth position to me.  I never run out of
air like I might in 3rd or 6th.  And the easiest overblow on the harp, hole
6, is really useful in 5th and fun to use.
   Am I on YouTube?  Rick, I can barely get the computer turned on!  But let
me take this opportunity to say how much I've enjoyed watching Chris M.'s
and Christelle's videos.  Great stuff!

Mick Zaklan