[Harp-L] All this Positions and Modes stuff

[Michael Snowden]

I don't try and play a Richter harp as a chromatic instrument, so whether a particular mode contains the same notes as another is irrelevant.  What matters to me is how the "characteristic notes" fit on an asymmetric instrument, with radically different feels to the bends.
Moving beyond "second position = blues" is definitely part of my musical education, but positions are a great shorthand to those characteristic positions, and what feels fit well for a particular harp key/music key combination.

We'd all like to be Howard Levy in our skills at overblows, and improvising, but frankly what I love about our little instrument IS what you can do with it beyond just notes, and for those the feel of bends is absolutely core to my love of its sound.


      From: Jerome P. <jersimuse at xxxxx>
 To: The Iceman <icemanle at xxxxx> 
Cc: harp-l <harp-l at xxxxx>
 Sent: Monday, 29 October 2018, 8:21
 Subject: Re: [Harp-L] All this Positions and Modes stuff
   
"Each position has a different "flavor" or (dare I say it?) "color"?"

But ... it was said before that positions had nothing to do with color /
flavor ...


"Aren't you able to listen to blues harmonica and hear/determine if it is
being played in 2nd position, 3rd position, 1st position, etc?"

If the musician plays a typical 2nd pos blues lick, with typical
intonations, of course I will recognize it. In other words, if the guy
purely plays with typical positions, I will recognize the positions, which
is logical.
But if we get back to colors, if he decides to play any other kind of lick
in G, the color will change, so by definition I will not recognize the "2nd
pos flavor" as you say.
If the guy decides to play a typical blues lick in 9th position, I will not
recognize the 9th position neither.
I may even think it is a 2nd or 3rd pos if it is well played.
And if I don't know anything about typical positions because I may have
learnt music in a different way, of course, I will not recognize the 2nd
position, but I will recognize a Blues lick, and maybe I will even
recognize a Blues lick in G if my ear is trained enough.

Le lun. 29 oct. 2018 à 00:01, The Iceman via Harp-L <harp-l at xxxxx> a
écrit :

> Arthur suggests:
>
> <<If you only play one key of harmonica, positions aren't useful.>>
>
>
>
> I believe they are useful - in blues.
>
>
> Each position has a different "flavor" or (dare I say it?) "color"?
>
>
> Aren't you able to listen to blues harmonica and hear/determine if it is
> being played in 2nd position, 3rd position, 1st position, etc?
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Arthur Jennings via Harp-L <harp-l at xxxxx>
>
>
>
>