Re: [Harp-L] Em

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Scott Harris wrote:
> If I want to play 2nd position on a
> song in E minor, which harp do I use? 

Depending on whether you want a Dorian minor mode (most minor harp blues) or an aeolian minor mode (like "House of the Rising Sun") you could play 2nd position on either a Dorian minor harp (draw 3 and draw 7 flatted 1/2 step) or a Natural minor harp (flatted draw 3 and 7 and blow 2, 5, and 8).  Natural minors can be found pretty easily; you can make a dorian minor pretty quickly with a little bit of blu-tack applied to the free ends of the draw 3 and 7 reeds.  Both these harps give you lots of big chord textures you can't get from a standard tuning, and they're just as flexible for soloing.

Most harp players would say "use an A harp and bend draw 3 down", or "play 3rd position on a D harp," both of which work for plenty of stuff.  But I think that for a minor blues especially, minor harps do everything you can do in 2nd or 3rd position on a standard tuned harp and then some.  

Regards, Richard Hunter

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