Re: [Harp-L] 4th position, a blues overview

[IcemanLE@xxxxxxx]

when you move toward "higher" number positions, you will find it less  
likely to produce chording with ease.
 
 
In a message dated 5/2/2010 2:38:46 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
sethgali@xxxxxxxxx writes:

Last  time I played in 4th, I found it extremely hard to play chords
for  rhythm.  Granted, I'm pretty much a newbie, but I found  myself
thinking that I'd have to switch to another harp and play the  chords
in 3rd, but play the melody and solos on 4th.  Tips for this  are
welcome.

Thanks.
Seth

On Sat, May 1, 2010 at 11:44 AM,  Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>   Have been thinking  lately that 4th position is probably one of the most
> ignored and  misunderstood positions on the diatonic harp.  Blues players
>  avoid it like the plague.  I understand that.  If someone tells me  that 
a
> position is "minor" or suited mainly for minor-keyed tunes,  then what am 
I
> going to do with that information?  How many songs  in minor keys does a
> working blues musician play on a gig?  Maybe  one a set?  Chances are, 
those
> are already being handled in 3rd  position.  Historically, there are 
plenty
> of recorded examples of  3rd position harmonica for a blues harpist to 
draw
> from.  Hardly  any of 4th.  And throw in all the misinformation about this
>  position out there.  In Jerry Portnoy's "Blues Harmonica  Masterclass"
> booklet and cd, Jerry misidentifies 4th position as 6th,  5th as 4th, and
> 12th as 5th.  Common among oldtimers; when Ron  Sorin did his workshop at 
Joe
> Filisko's Old Town School of Folk Music  class, I believe he was calling 
5th
> position 4th.  I no longer  have the Tony Glover book around, but I think 
he
> may have been calling  5th position 4th also.  Just for the record; 4th
> position on a C  diatonic means you are playing in the key of A.  Your 
draw
> note  on the 6th hole.
>   Regarding the 6th hole; on paper it looks bad.  Your tonic note, a note
> you need to use often in 4th, is only  available cleanly (without 
bending) on
> the 6th and 10th holes of the  instrument.  If you are primarily a cross 
or
> 2nd position player,  you want that note lower on the harp.  
Unfortunately,
> now you  have to sharpshoot a full-step bend on the 3rd hole to get it.  
And
> that bend could wind up being sharp or flat if you're not  careful.
>   Another drawback.  If you do make an attempt to  do some blues playing 
in
> this position, you might not feel comfortable  with the way the notes are
> layed out.  Joe Filisko once told me  that he was bothered by all the 
changes
> in breath here.  Legato  and speed are affected sometimes when you find
> yourself constantly  having to draw, blow, draw, blow through phrases.
>   When blues  players consider all this stuff, 4th becomes relegated to
> novelty act  status.  A "someday I'll get around to it" position.  
Something
> to play "Autumn Leaves" or "Summertime" in, if you get  ambitious.  Then
> somebody unearths a Rhythm Willie side using the  position to great 
effect on
> "St. James Infirmary" and people start to  take a second look at it.
>   But again, "St. James Infirmary" is a  blues in a minor key.  Over a 
month
> ago, when John Potts asked me  to share some 4th playing tips with 
harp-l, he
> acknowledged that all  the notes seem to be there.  They are.  Simply 
put, if
> you  can bend a few notes on the harp, you can fit most blues standards  
into
> 4th position.  Major and minor.  Weaknesses?  Every position has 
weaknesses
> and strengths.  Sweet spots  and sour spots.  It's your job as a musician
> to camouflage or  overcome these weaknesses and highlight the strengths 
of a
>  position.
>   Are there any advantages to 4th position for blues  playing?  Sure there
> are.  You'd spot them in 5 minutes if  you drew a diatonic harp in the 
key of
> G out on a piece of paper side  by side with one in the key of A and went
> about the work of playing  both harps in the key of E.  Take a good look 
at
> where the notes  you've been using in 2nd position to play the blues on 
an A
> harp  happen to fall on your G harp.  Move some simple riffs and song  
heads
> over.  The deeper you get into it; the more excited you get  about the
> possibilities of 4th as a very practical blues position that  can
> stand alongside 3rd, 5th, and 6th as a solid blues option.  Another tool 
in
> your tool bag.
>
> Mick  Zaklan
>



-- 
The beatings will continue until morale  has improved.