Re: [Harp-L] Chromatic: Advantages of each position

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Chromatic players divide into two schools of thought on the concept of positions.

If you only ever play a C chromatic, and especially if you don't play diatonic, then the concept of positions is pointless. You could talk about that big minor draw chord when you play in D. But you just call it D (or maybe D minor); there's nothing to be gained by calling it anything else.

However, if you play chromatics that are tuned to different keys, then it's useful to know that the key of D played on a C chromatic plays identically to B on an A chromatic or G on an F chromatic. At that point, calling them all by a common term (such as third position) is helpful.

Winslow

 
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________________________________
 From: Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Robert Hale <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Cc: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 12:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Chromatic: Advantages of each position
 

On Mar 13, 2012, at 2:29 PM, Robert Hale wrote:

> Will there be a presenter at SPAH12 teaching how to choose positions on a
> chromatic? Even though all notes are present, I imagine some modes and
> scales "layout" better in certain positions, both for comfort and for
> expression.
> 
> Robert Hale
> Learn Harmonica by Webcam
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> http://www.youtube.com/DUKEofWAIL <http://www.youtube.com/user/DUKEofWAIL>
> http://www.dukeofwail.com


I'm not real sure (so don't go by me), but I don't think positions are viewed as crucial on chromatic. Standard notation & tab would be the norm and one would tend to talk as:
'Being in this key or that key'. As for playing various keys on various keyed chromatics in order to obtain a third (variouser) key, I suggested doing that many years ago. It fell like a lead zeppelin.   tickle snicker

smo-joe