[Harp-L] Charlie McCoy's first recording session as a harmonica player

[JOSEPH LEONE]

> On 06/26/2020 3:01 PM Arthur Jennings <arturojennings at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
>  
> I think people are forgetting that Charlie is a university-trained musician and multi-instrumentalist.

This is true. 20 would have put him in Sophomore. I also play other instruments but am a luddite when it comes to university schooling. 
> 
> As to whether he conceived of Am on an F harp as “fifth position” or as simply “relative minor of the cross-harp key,” as guess you’d have to ask him. Either way, he knew what he was doing.

I pick your option #2. I feel he was thinking 'relative minor of the cross harp key'. Mainly because of his mostly cross harp work.

As for knowing what he was doing? Yes. Didn't mean to give the impression otherwise. If that's, in fact, what happened. I used the words: "Many people". Doesn't necessarily include him.
 And as far as asking him, I see a slight dilema. Asking someone something they were thinking when they were 20 as opposed to them now being 79, one might get a different answer than actual. lol.

Jess sayne, and jess an opinion. As I said, I could be dead wrong. Charlie is a hero of mine. 

smo-joe 

> 
> > On Jun 26, 2020, at 10:53 AM, JOSEPH LEONE <3n037 at xxxxx> wrote:
> > 
> > Fairly simple repetitious riff. And I'm not convinced that McCoy knew what positions were. Not at 20 at least. Hey, I could be dead wrong. 
> > Many people have played harmonicas in off the wall positions and didn't know that they WERE positions. And probably couldn't tell you WHAT they were doing except that they 'found' a harp that worked. 
> > I DO know that the few times I have seen/heard Charlie play chromatic, he used one tuned TO the tune he was playing. I recall that we were playing once and using Bb diatonics in the second position for F, and I even did a solo on chro martic.
> > He asked me if I was using an F chromo. and I showed him that I was using a C.
> > AND in the huge compendium of tunes that he had played on vinyl over the years, he always seemed to use second position.
> > 
> > Charlie used to use 2 or more diatonics for some tunes. Example: 'Londonderry Aire (Oh Danny Boy). He used a D crossed for the head, then an A straight for the bridge, than back to a D. Then he would go up one sharp, use an Eb crossed for the head, a Bb straight, and back to an Eb crossed. Four harps. 
> > 
> > I only used two. But I had changed one reed. Something he discovered many years later. 
> > 
> > smo-joe   
> > 
> >> On 06/26/2020 6:51 AM Ken H in Ohio <airmojoken at xxxxx> wrote:
> >> 
> >> 
> >> That's a great song and excellent playing by Charlie McCoy.
> >> I wonder if Charlie knew he was playing in what we now call "5th position"
> >> back then ?
> >> Probably did, but I still wonder about it.
> >> 
> >> Ken H in OH
> >> 
> >> 
> >>> On Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 8:54 PM Peter Madcat Ruth <madcat at xxxxx>
> >>> wrote:
> >>> 
> >>> Charlie McCoy's first recording session as a harmonica player was in 1961
> >>> when Charlie was 20 years old.
> >>> 
> >>> The song was "I Just Don't Understand", by Ann-Margret.
> >>> 
> >>> The song was in the key of Am and Charlie was playing an F harmonica  -
> >>> that’s fifth position!
> >>> 
> >>> check it out:
> >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDagZECOhJc
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> Peter Madcat Ruth
> >>>