Re: [Harp-L] Scottish/Irish tunes

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Speaking more for Scots and Quebecois than for Irish:

D (major and mixolydian), A (major, mixolydian, dorian, and occasionally natural minor), G major, and E dorian minor are the most common keys. C, G minor, F and even Bb come up occasionally, but they're pretty rare. 

I've never Paddied my harps but I can see why it would be attractive. Personally, I prefer to have that open 5th interval (like fiddle open strings) between Blow 1 and 3, and I just make the Draw 3 bend work.

Fist position is usually best for major, second position for mixolydian, third for dorian, and either third or fourth for natural minor. That said, I sometimes find that a tune lies better in a position whose default scale doesn't match the mode of the tune.

I mostly use a combination of XB-40s in Low D, G, and A, tremolo o octave harps in C, D, A, and G, and a Low D chromatic in A-bop tuning (blow notes in Holes 4 and 8 lowered by three semitones), and sometimes C chromatic as well. I have a couple of Country tuned harps that I use now and then as well,

The XB-40s have the power and volume to cut through at an acoustic jam, and their bendiness can come in handy when the scale or key changes. The tremolos (either Hohner Echo or Suzuki Humming) make for a nice tone color change from the single reed diatonics. And for some tunes the D or C chromatics just seem to make sense.

Winslow
 
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: brian.irving <brian.irving@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 4:40 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Scottish/Irish tunes
 

A question for all you trad Celtic musicians!  Which are the commonest keys
for Scottish/Irish traditional tunes?  So far, from my limited collection of
recorded tunes I've identified D and A with some in C.  So harps in A, C and
D would cover them.  Any other harps essential for a gig bag for celtic
jams/open mics?



Brian (dyed in the wool blues man but looking to expand repertoire!)