RE: [Harp-L] Suggestion for playing "Ashokan Farewell"

[Steve Shaw <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

> I play Ashokan Farewell on an "A" Circular Tuned harp, which has "D" major as the underlying key.
> All of the notes in the song are available without any bending, except for the "C" (flatted 7th) in 
> measure 27. That requires a half-step draw bend, to be held for two beats (the song is a waltz in
> 3/4 time), which is easy to do on a Circular Tuned harp. I use the second octave as the base 
> reference, so that I can drop down for the really low notes on the low end of the harp, using hole 
> 1 blow ("A", the 5th of the "D" major scale). The Circular Tuned harp gives you the range to lay 
> out the song across the entire harp.
> 
> References for the melody notes can be found by Googling for "Ashokan Farewell melody notes".
> There are various arrangements; you'll have to pick one that most closely fits your conception of
> how to play the song. There are also MIDI versions if you want to learn to play it by ear.
That C nat is a pain. If I have to play the melody I use a D chrom. If someone else (the fiddle player) is playing the melody then there are infinite harmonising possibilities on a D blues harp. Personally I find the melody to be a bit threadbare, requiring lots of lushness in the harmony to make it work well.