The organ chords playing behind Sonny Boy on the original studio recording are definitely minor. So is the bass lick. So is the melody. So are the harmonica licks.
I'd have to say the tune is unambiguously in a minor key.
Sonny Boy played it in second position, F using a Bb harp. He bent draw 3 down most of the time (sometimes he let it roll upward during certain licks) and avoided Blow 2 and 5, to help preserve the minor feel even though second position defaults to a major feel overall.
Winslow
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
--- On Mon, 2/23/09, Blueharp1@xxxxxxx <Blueharp1@xxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Blueharp1@xxxxxxx <Blueharp1@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Help me position/key
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Monday, February 23, 2009, 9:40 PM
And then again, if the guitarist calls it in A minor on a given night ~ then
it's in A minor. Learn both approaches. I like the minor version, a
little
on the "Green Onions" side. If you like the original, learn to sing
it, call
out your own key and make it yours.
JG
In a message dated 2/23/2009 8:52:35 P.M. Mountain Standard Time,
harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx writes:
Gary;
It's been a while since I've had my old SBWII records on the
turntable, but
I am not so sure that 'Help Me' is minor. I suspect it leans heavily
on the
pentatonic blues scale giving a strong impression of a minor, but I suspect
there are dominant sevenths (ie with major thirds) being played down at the
bottom end.
There is a lot of blues that sounds minor, but is not; the flat 3rd in the
blues scale, when stacked on top of a dominant 7th with it's major third,
creates what you'd have to call a 'sharp ninth' harmony.
Having said that, it is possible to play 'Help me' in third position
over
dominant 7th chords (I know someone is going to jump on me here for my
terminology)
It works for some tunes and not for others though; you just have to be
careful, 'cause in the blues. there are no strict rules beyond taste.
RD
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