Re: [Harp-L] Voice-leading on the 48 chord harmonica

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Two ideas come to mind, both subject to experiment:

The highest note in the chord always stands out to some extent. Try playing two successive chords each with different top note and see if you hear those two top notes as the melody.

If you play two successive chords with some notes in common and some not, the notes that differ may stand out and therefore be noticed as "melody" notes. For instance, C major and A minor differ only by one note: G in the C chord and A in the A chord. if you play C, then A minor, you may hear G to A as the melody. Try following the A minor with a C7 and you may hear a melody of G-A-Bb.

Is the classic chord harmonica progression for Peg available anywhere online? Close study and comparison with the melody may reveal these and perhaps other techniques used to create a sense of melodic movement. 

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
Columnist, harmonicasessions.com


________________________________
 From: Stephen Jennings <harpfixer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2011 4:08 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Voice-leading on the 48 chord harmonica
 
Compliments of the season to all here!!



Anyone got any hints, tips, tricks or "rules of thumb" for
arranging/setting/playing voice-leading parts on the 48 chord (or any other,
for that matter) - a la "Peg O' My Heart" - I've got a few thoughts about
other melodies, but it's frying my brain trying to figure it all out.



Thanks in advance.



Kind regards,

Stephen Jennings