RE: [Harp-L] Country tuning

["Ian Cowe" <ian@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi John - I'm not very good at the technical side of music, but I'm pretty
sure it's 12th position.  The melody is really hard to play in 1st or 2nd,
and I can't explain technically why this is, but in 12th it works almost
effortlessly.  

The raised 5 draw (CT) gives the major third (needed for the first line (4
bars) of the melody) which can be bent a semitone (for the second line (bars
5-8) of the melody).

The tonic note is only used 5 times (I think), 4 of them pretty much in
passing and quite easily played on my C (CT) harp.  It is a 32 bar tune, and
bar 29 is a little tricky, needing the 5 draw semitone in an important run
up, and bar 32 finishes on the root note - the only time it's really
important (but all of them are very doable).  It works for me!

When it comes to improvising around the melody that's really difficult in
12th so I'll have to revert to 2nd position for that.

Also, I was hoping that I could go on to play Bill Bailey, but that doesn't
work at all!

Ian



-----Original Message-----
From: John Kerkhoven [mailto:solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: 01 March 2010 23:03
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx; Ian Cowe
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Country tuning

I'm puzzled -- a country tuned harp raises the 5 draw a semi-tone, thus
forcing the root note in 12th pos. to a 5-draw bend.

how is country tuning helpful here? do you mean something else?

John

>
> While noodling around I have found that country tuning is really good for
> the melody of Sweet Georgia Brown in 12th position (F on a C harp).  There
> are only a handful of bends, and they're quite easy ones.  As I play this
> tune with some jazzy bluegrass guys who like to do it at 90 miles an hour
> I'm now in with a chance - I just need to get a D country tuned harp so I
> can play it with them in the key of G.
>
>
>
> I must explore 12th more..
>
>
>
> Ian
>
>
>
>
>