[Harp-L] All this Positions and Modes stuff

[dh@xxxxx]

When you say A minor I assume you mean A aeolian

A aeolian is a mode of C major
G mixolydian is a mode of C major

If I'd flip the Eiffel tower upside down could you still recognize that you're looking at the Eiffel tower ?

Any harmonic device or scale has its own signature sound if you flip it (commonly called inversion for chords) you can still hear the shape of the original dare I say main shape
So if you play a C major scale on a B7#9 or if you play a C major scale starting on A you can still hear that it's the shape of the major scale simply because the "original" formula is the same intervals have just been moved around. 

ABCDEFG is just an inversion of CDEFGAB

Of course one will sound minor the other major .. are you sure ???

Not really no they don’t !

Try to play CDEFGAB over an A minor bass line .. guess what the major scale now sounds like A minor
Try to play the A minor scale over a C Maj7 vamp ... this time the minor scale will now sound major
What define the mode is the bass or chord not the mode

Meaning that the scale is the scale C major is C major / stronger than its modes to put it plainly

So back to the positions why not say I play in G major or in G minor or this song starts with a ii V I in F then a ii V I in Bb .... like basically any musician I've met so far or heard talk about improvisation / composition

-----Original Message-----
From: Arthur Jennings <arturojennings at xxxxx> 
Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2018 11:25 PM
To: dh at xxxxx
Cc: harp-l at xxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] All this Positions and Modes stuff

Saying that G Mixolydian is the same as C Major is analogous to saying A minor and C major are the same. 

They aren't.

> On Oct 28, 2018, at 10:12 PM, dh at xxxxx wrote:
> 
> " Yes, if you're playing a G scale on a C harp, you're in second position, regardless of which G scale you're playing'
> 
> 1/ Well I'm very sorry but G mixolydian (GABCDEF) - a G scale that everybody uses all the time to play 2nd position is actually our good old  C major scale (CDEFGAB) !!!
> 
> So you’re telling me now that playing a C scale on a C harmonica is playing 2nd position ???!!! just because I started on the G ?
> 
> 2/ I'm sorry even twice when I play G dorian (GABbCDEF) which is also a G scale that a lot of players use all the time as 2nd position playing that is actually the F major scale (FGABbCDE) !!!
> 
> So you’re telling me that playing in F on a C harmonica is also playing in 2nd position ?
> 
> 3/ I'm confused but sorry again when I play a bluegrass tune in G 
> major (GABCDEF#) on a C harmonica because well it is also a G scale 
> but still not the same as the other 2
> 
> Wait a minute ... Did I just say that playing in C major, F Major and G major is playing in 2nd position ??? !!!
> 
> Oh maybe playing in 2nd position is just playing whatever you want and call it 2nd position ?
> 
> 
> I spent a few hundred hours transcribing little Walter, Big Walter 
> Horton and Charlie Mc Coy solos when I was 13/14 and was drawing tabs 
> of the 2nd position as I was told those tunes were 2nd position I 
> quickly understood that none of them were the same thus making No 
> sense whatsoever to use the system of positions
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Harp-L <harp-l-bounces at xxxxx> On Behalf Of Arthur Jennings 
> via Harp-L
> Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2018 3:48 PM
> To: Jerome P. <jersimuse at xxxxx>
> Cc: harp-l <harp-l at xxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] All this Positions and Modes stuff
> 
> Yes, if you're playing a G scale on a C harp, you're in second position, regardless of which G scale you're playing.
> 
> Trying to stretch the definition of position to account for tonality, altered tunings or chromatic button status winds up complicating the issue past the point of usefulness, in my opinion.
> 
>> On Oct 28, 2018, at 2:25 PM, Jerome P. <jersimuse at xxxxx> wrote:
>> 
>> ok, others would have a different definition, but why not.
>> So, considering this definition, what is the answer to my question ?
>> BTW, which root note are we talking about ? The one of the harmony, G 
>> ? the root of the mode I'm playing with ? The root of the scale from 
>> which the mode comes from ?
>> Would you consider here that I play in 2nd position all the way long ?
>> 
>>> Le dim. 28 oct. 2018 à 22:04, Gary Lehmann <gnarlyheman at xxxxx> a écrit :
>>> 
>>> Winslow Yerxa says positions are named by the root note, not the 
>>> flavor of scale.
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>> On Oct 28, 2018, at 1:32 PM, Jerome P. <jersimuse at xxxxx> wrote:
>>> 
>>> In which position or positions have I just played ?
>>> 
>>> 
>>>>>> 
>