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

[Arthur Jennings]

Good point, Joe. I’m ten years younger and I can’t recall what I was thinking last week!

> On Jun 26, 2020, at 12:33 PM, JOSEPH LEONE <3n037 at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
>> 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
>>>>>