Re: [Harp-L] Chromatic and Diatonic - Understanding Music Theory?

[Jerry Deall <jdeall@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Talk to Michael Rubin, he has some very accessible teaching methods. 



Thanks Jerry, 

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Fugazzi " < mikefugazzi @ gmail .com> 
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Wednesday, November 9, 2011 9:42:02 AM 
Subject: [Harp-L] Chromatic and Diatonic - Understanding Music Theory? 

I just ordered my first chromatic, an Educator 10. I have no idea how 
into learning chromatic I will become, but am very open to learning 
how to at least play a song or two. Ideally, I would be able to use 
it to help with brushing up on and studying music theory. 

Howard Levy talks about visualizing a piano in his head when finding 
notes on harmonica. I am totally guilty of only playing harmonica and 
being able to ignore some of that reasoning by changing the key of 
harmonica or picking a position I already know. I don't have to think 
much about note names and relationships if I know scales/intervals. 
Meaning, I have a deficit in knowing note names as I can just 
transpose intervals and keys by switching harps. I also can, and 
have, skipped learning some positions and scales because I can just 
use a harp and position I already know well. 

Am I way off base in thinking that learning some of these things on 
chromatic can help my understanding of diatonic and music theory in 
general? Like if I learn my scales in 12 keys on one chromatic and 
know the note names and intervals, will that help my diatonic thinking 
(sorta like how Howard thinks of a piano)? 

It is ok if it won't, as I can still have fun with chromatic. 

If what I am saying doesn't make sense, here is an example. 

If you call out a tune that is diatonic to C, I can find the tonic of 
each chord on a C harmonica. I can probably even improvise over most 
changes. I can even tell you the note name of each whole. However, 
if you asked me to tell you the note names on a Bb harp, I'd have no 
clue. I could give you the tab of a scale, but I don't have the 
relationships of the intervals down enough to calculate the note 
names. Furthermore, I can only play the scales I know, I can't think 
of what a new scale would look like without a reference guide. 

This is frustrating when I see a guitar tab for a song and see the 
note names but can't figure out how that best lays out into a 
position, etc. I have to look at a chart of 12 harmonica keys and 
find which harp has the right notes in a way that is easiest to play 
and then I don't know what chords/double stops I can play as I don't 
have the scales memorized by notes, etc. 

Obviously, I could just start memorizing diatonic harp charts along 
with scales by note names, but that is way boring compared to learning 
that to actually play an instrument. I want to be able to think 
things like, "Oh, that song is Em, C, G, D...it is diatonic to G and 
the chord tones of the Em are Em, G, B and D", in keys that go beyond 
a C harp. 

Thanks!