[Harp-L] Irish Tunes in Relative Minor.

["Joel Thomas" <theloveboxquartet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi All,

I put relative minor as I can't help calling it 6th position, or minor
6th position, as it makes more musical sense...

If there are any irish players, particularly using chord style on
unaltered diatonic's, on this list, I was wondering whether any of them
(you) had anything interesting to say about trying to play in the 1st
octave using the relative minor of the hamonica's straight key. It's all
fine playing mostly from hole 6 suck upwards, particularly tunes that
start on the 8 blow like the Ashplant, but getting a good bend on the 3
suck at the bottom (coming from 5 blow, and very quickly) is really
hard....

Has anyone out there in Harp-l-land perfected the technique? I'll get it
myself one day, but it would be great to hear it being done.

Would anyone venture a list of their favourite irish tunes they play on
the harmonica?

Before I forget, does anyone have a sweet tip for the 6 blow bend (the
F# on a C harp, or the 7th note of the full major scale in G from 2 suck
to 6 blow) and yes, I know about a windsaver on the 6 suck reed.

I followed a link from a post the other day and found some old Canadian
harmonica recordings put up by Winslow Yerxa, what a guy. Great,
fantastic, marvellous playing. Those Frenchies sure did some of my
favourite musics, from Breton to Cajun, OK it's only B to C, but you
know what I mean....

I was amused to read a recent post from Winslow about being able to be
heard acoustically over a number of fiddles, whilst admitting he was
miked up! I've busked acoustically in St.Malo in Brittany and with the
wind whipping down a wide avenue where even the biggest lung'd players
wouldn't be heard from across the street! played raucous sessions with
dancing where the only answer was to put my finger in my ear just to be
able to hear myself play, so I completely sympathise with any acoustic
players, doing sessions and the like. Play on the high end.

I you're still reading, thanks,
Joel. 
-- 
  Joel Thomas
  theloveboxquartet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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