Re: [Harp-L] flat keys

[richard perkins <judoblues2@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'll add my 2 cents to this conversation, I play with a bunch of muscians at a jam and have played with bands that drop everything a half step down. One of the tunes at the jam we usually play is southbound by the allman bros. It's in C , doing the train shuffle with an F harp always felt too high a pitch and F tenor is too low, play it in 3rd on a Bb in third and it works perfectly.
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On Mon, 9/8/14, Bob Cohen <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Harp-L] flat keys
 To: "harp-l" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>, "Lloyd Short" <lloyd.arthur.short@xxxxxxxxx>
 Date: Monday, September 8, 2014, 1:49 AM
 
 
 On
 Sep 6, 2014, at 9:02 PM, Lloyd Short <lloyd.arthur.short@xxxxxxxxx>
 wrote:
 
 > what's the
 real motivation for getting a flat key harp. Assuming no
 other
 > instruments existed in the world,
 and acoustic harp only remained, why
 >
 should I choose Bb over A or Eb over D? is there a tone
 difference ? I know
 > I just gave
 examples of a key sharp, not flat, but you should get the
 point
 > of what I'm asking.
 
 This is far simpler than you
 might imagine. One key is not better than another. All
 choice relate to the key of the song you are playing. Mostly
 this is a function of some combination of the song
 writer's preferences, the kinds of instruments in the
 rhythm section, and the range of the vocalists. E.g., if you
 play with Jazz cats blowing saxes, you're more likely to
 find yourself playing in the flat keys. If you are playing
 blues with guitar players, you're more likely to find
 yourself playing in E, A, D, or G which are a bit easier to
 play on the guitar.
 
 Much
 depends on whether you are calling the tunes or or backing
 up someone else. The thing you want to avoid is not having
 the right harp for key of the song. The right key is the
 subject of a whole 'nother discussion which involves
 your personal facility and artistic preferences. There are
 guys out who can play all 12 keys with one harp. There are
 many who say so what and think that doing so is an inferior
 artistic choice. Do yourself a favor and get all 12 keys and
 have fun. :-)
 
 Bob Cohen
 Writer, Internet Consultant, Teacher
 w: bobjcohen.com
 t:
 #itsabobworld