Re: [Harp-L] Question for position guys

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Layout has nothing to do with it.

Why create complications?

Position is about one thing and one thing only: The relationship between the home note of the key you're playing in, and the home note of the key of the harmonica.

Scale, mode, and how the notes lay out have no bearing on that relationship.

E major, E minor, and any other flavor of E are second postion on an A harp. That said, you may find that deriving your E scale from a mode of G gives you an additional way to approach second position -which is cool and worth exploring. But that doesn't change the relationships between E and A.
Â
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Cc: Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 5:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Question for position guys
 
Hate to complicate things, but I see this as 11th position, minor. Why?
because E minor on an A harp does not 'layout' like 2nd position. You are
having to flatten the 3rd, for a start.
A G scale, the relative major of E, played on the A harp, is more
naturally similar to E minor. I think a lot of this is academic; it's 'what
works for you'. This works better for my particular form of grey matter.
RD

On 24 September 2012 10:34, David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Ok. Now it makes sense.
>
> David Payne
> www.elkriverharmonicas.com
>
>
> Elk River Harmonicas Forum now available via Iphone app,
> www.elkriverharmonicas.com/forum
>
>
> ________________________________
>Â From: Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Harp L Harp L <
> harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2012 3:17 PM
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Question for position guys
>
>
> Count around the circle of fifths to get position numbers.
>
> For a D-chromatic- Count D=1, A=2, E=3, B=4, F#(Gb)=5, Db(C#)=6, Ab=7,
> Eb=8, Bb=9, F=10
>
> For E minor on an A-harp, A=1, E=2 (Major or minor makes no difference
> when counting positions: only the tonal center counts.)
>
> Winslow Yerxa
> Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
>Â Â Â Â Â Â  Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
>Â Â Â Â Â Â  Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
> Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
> Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
>
>
> ________________________________
>Â From: David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2012 9:06 AM
> Subject: [Harp-L] Question for position guys
>
> I've never been much on positions, although I can figure out 1st, 2nd, 4th
> and 5th easy enough. Like one a short while back at the Huntington
> Harmonica club, they called a song in F minor and I wound up playing a D
> chromatic with the button pushed in the entire time, so that would have
> been transforming the chromatic to an Eb chromatic and playing 5th position
> on it.
> But to get that, I was thinking about chords, thinking that if I pushed
> the button it, I'd have an F minor chord, then I could play in F minor.
> Now, after I started playing it, I figured out that was 5th position I was
> doing.
> So, I came across a recording of me back when I was still in school. The
> song was Em. I was playing an A harmonica.
>
> What position is that?
>
> David Payne
> www.elkriverharmonicas.com
>



-- 
Rick Dempster
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