[Harp-L] Request for information

["michael rubin" <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

The question is age old, what do the terms first position and second
position mean?

There are twelve notes on a keyboard.  C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B

There are twelve keys, families of notes that sound good together.
Each one has a note that has the same name as the key.  For example,
the key of C has the key note C.  This note is called the tonic, the
root or the one.

Because it is possible to play every note on the keyboard on any
diatonic harp, it is possible to play in all twelve keys on any
diatonic harp.  Each one of these keys can be referred to as a
position, therefore there are 12 positions.

Although the name of the root note for each position changes from
harmonica to harmonica, the hole location of the position's root note
always remains the same. For example,  first position's root note is
always 1,4,7 or 10 blow.  Second position's root note is always 2
draw, 3 blow, 6 blow or 9 blow.

If you are playing in the key of C on a C harmonica, that is called
first position.  If you play the same hole pattern on an A harp, you
will play the same song, only it will sound lower in pitch.  The song
is now in the key of A.  The key of A on an A harp is also first
position.  First position means playing in the same key your harp is
stamped in.

Many musicians have learned to group their understanding of keys by a
method called the Circle of Fifths.  In it, a musician would start by
choosing a scale, often they will start with the C major scale.  The
notes in the C major scale are C D E F G A B C.

The next scale they will choose is G.  The notes in the G major scale
are G A B C D E F# G.  Why do they choose G as the next scale?
Because the difference between the two scales is very slight.  In the
C scale, you have an F note, in the G scale you have an F# note.
Other than that the scales are identical, save which note you start
on.

Look at the C major scale, C D E F G A B C.  If you were to give
numerical values to these scale degrees, you would have this:

C D E F G A B C
1  2 3 4  5 6  7  8

What numerical value does G have?  5.  That is why they call the
method of grouping of keys the Circle of Fifths.  What would happen if
we looked at the scale that begins with the fifth note of the G major
scale?

G A B C D E F# G
1  2 3  4 5  6 7   8

The fifth note is D.  What is the D major scale?

D E F# G A B C# D.

What is the difference between the G major scale and the D major
scale?  Besides their starting place, one note.  In G, you have the
note C, in D, you have the note C#.  As you move to a scale a fifth
higher than the previous scale, you always add one sharp.  Even the
scales that have flats in them can be proven to contain one more sharp
than the previous scale.  If is a mathematical proof that is somewhat
ridiculous and not valuable in everyday usage.

If you have a C harmonica and played in the key of C, you would be
playing in first position.  If you played your C harp in the key of
G,where the keynote is a fifth higher than the key the harp is stamped
in, that would be called second position. If you played in the key of
D, that would be third position.  These positions are relatively easy
to play in because the difference between a C scale and a G scale is
only one note.  The difference from a C to D scale is only 2 two
notes.

If you had a G harmonica and moved thru the same hole pattern as you
did while playing in first position on a C harp (key of C) you would
still be playing first position, although now you would be in the key
of G.  If you had a G harp and moved thru the same hole pattern as you
did while playing in 2nd position on a C harp (key of G), you would
still be playing second position although now you would be playing in
the key of D.

Hopefully that helps.  Phone lessons are available as are many
students' references.
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com