Re: [Harp-L] Question about harps played by Bobby Darin

[Ken Hildebrand <airmojoken@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bobby is playing a D harp Marine Band in 2nd position, the song being in the key of A.

I think he just fumbled with the same harp a bit to get it oriented correctly...

Ken H in OH




On Friday, March 28, 2014 12:36 PM, Eliza Doolittle <eliza.doolittle@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
 
That my first harp-related question to the list is a silly question is very much in character for me. I'm asking because it's easy to see it hasn't been asked before by making a search; for all other questions I had I've found and I'm finding answers in the archives. At least so far.

I'm a great fan of Bobby Darin's. Not as a harp player: without knowing much about harps, I've always believed him to be just fine, playing adequately but simply (my hat's off to him as a drummer and percussionist, though). Which I've seen was commented on a few years ago here in the list. What I like about this is that trying to copy something of what he plays seems an attainable goal for me in the more-or-less short term (developing more interesting ideas with that point of departure would be the next step). I'd like to do this because whenever I watch him I do feel like singing along, dancing along, jumping along and, why not, playing along (being equally unqualified for all of them!).

For me, one of his most contagious songs with harp is this 'The Midnight Special': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbW55CTqf_U

Would you please tell me which harp he's using in this song (jump to 2:57 to hear it)? The song is in A, but I don't know whether the harp is in A, in D, or in some other key.

And, as a very secondary question, can you see/hear what is the brand of his harp? Just out of curiosity (I'm not going to buy a harp only because BD played it, and apart from that, I cannot find anything but Hohner in my town anyway). You can have a better view in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFNxhYs3N10 (at 3:49). What's the key of this one? He picks the wrong one first, but all I can say is that both of them seem to have a lot of Gs.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Eliza Doolittle