[Harp-L] First Position and "Country"

["Aongus MacCana" <amaccana@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Though no expert, my own conclusion is that first position is favoured in
Irish Trad. The harmonica is tolerated, though not really smiled upon in
establishment Irish Traditional Music circles. One must remember that it is
not so long ago that even the button box was not regarded as a "proper Irish
Traditional Music instrument". In competitions the harmonica class is mostly
tremolo and I don't know if any genius has come up with the knack of playing
a tremolo in second position. A chromatic is not allowed to be a harmonica
in trad music competitions - being put into the category of "other
instruments" - even if you swear never to touch the button.

When I invested in my first chromatic as a teenager, I unconsciously
developed the bad habit of transposing every tune I tried to play to the key
of C. It is only in my old age, playing along with sessions. that I have
succeeded - again unconsciously  - in sort of weaning myself away from first
position.

In Brendan Power's splendid tutor for playing Irish Traditional Music on the
Chromatic he recommends using both G and D chromatics and he even has a
video on YouTube demonstrating "in flight" swapping of chromatics. If a
virtuoso like Brendan Power will go to such lengths to stay in first
position, I reckon it must be an endorsement of first position as "the
position of choice" for Country or at least for Irish Country. 

Beannachtai

Aongus Mac Cana