Atm i seem/feel like i have some 3rd pos riff's, around the 4567 holes and some 1, 2 holes, am i right in thinking hang around these and be safe? appears to me bends are very very important to mix it up, sometimes i sound a little ok, ...G or Bb seems to be the choice harp?
(am i right in "thinking") Keep turning the THINKING key and you will discover the rest of the 3rd pos riddle...So yes, you are right in thinking! Sorry for being less then helpful, but I think your thinking in the right direction and bound to discover more in that position as you continue to ponder its existence :)
Here's how to get some more 3rd position licks by ear: Pick up a G harp and play your favourite key of D, 2nd position lick. Now, pick up your C harp and look for the same key of D lick. Repeat.
Not everything will work, but most will.
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They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. Charlie Parker
I'm probably hanging myself out for music theory ridicule, but I think I may have detected a pattern on my Lee Oskar key chart thing that comes with every one of his harps. Isn't 3rd position just 2nd position to 2nd position?
I sure hope so. I was trying to lay some Bb behind a very good player who was playing F cross harp to some C blues guitar not too long ago. I thought it was working, or at least had potential.
Last Edited by on Dec 22, 2012 10:28 AM
What a great performance of Sadie by Gary Primich! The Hound Dog Taylor version (original?) is awesome as well. This is very true to that, and third position gives it a very cool feel.
Last Edited by on Dec 22, 2012 11:22 AM
@groyster it shows you what key harp key to grab...for me second position is second nature but cant remember third position keys... "
3rd is easier to remember than 2nd. You have a harp ,you know its Key so you know the Tonic of that key is in Blow 4. Third is the next letter in the alphabet(which is draw 4) So eg ,C harp,blow 4 is a C,draw 4 is a D....so third position on a C harp is D.
D harp 4 blow D..draw 4 E ...third position is E etc
take chances! if you cover 1234 and tb 2and 3, guess what- you get OCTAVES in 3rd!! and guess what else- you can do ALL 10 HOLES that way! failing that you can play 3 through 10 in 3rfd and if you just do it for a while you will find a lot of great stuff to use. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
Thanks nice folks, Ronnie Shellist has a 3rd pos lick i work with, 4,5,6,7 holes and i can mix them up ok i think, tone not notes are very important but the position sound cool when played correctly, i'm starting to find many of my harps have sticky reeds up the top end, .....hope Santa is reading this!!!
Yeah I just always know a c harp played in d is 3rd so the rest is pretty obvious to work out from there But if you like,Stan, your tonic mixolydian scale in 3rd is draw 1, blow 2, half step bend draw 2, draw2/blow3, whole step bend draw 3 (I.e. A on a C harp), draw 3, blow 4, draw 4, blow5, overblow5, blow 6, draw 6, draw 7, blow 7, draw 8, blow bend 9 that'll do. I don't play over bends For major, don't play 4 blow (the flat 7th). Play the 4 draw bend instead (the major 7th) That 5 overblow doesn't work for me though, so I stick to the lower octave for those scales. Blues scale works out pretty easy in 3rd though in that middle octave. 4 draw, 5 draw, 6 blow, 6 draw bend, 6 draw, 7 blow, 8 draw. Lower octave: 1 draw, 2 draw whole step bend, 2 draw/3 blow, 3 draw one and a half step bend, 3 draw whole step bend, blow 4, draw 4. I hope that's of some help...basically just write out the scale, find those notes, try and play the sucker... On the IV chord you can play your second position stuff, and your V chord will use 4th position Try Minnie the moocher starting on 4 draw. ----------
Rubes said: Simply put, 3rd is the key behind (or 'before') song key!
Not exactly true. If the band is in D, the key before that is C#. But you need a C harp to play thrid position in the key of D.
Jehosephat says: 3rd is easier to remember than 2nd. You have a harp ,you know its Key so you know the Tonic of that key is in Blow 4. Third is the next letter in the alphabet(which is draw 4) So eg ,C harp,blow 4 is a C,draw 4 is a D....so third position on a C harp is D.
Again, not exactly true. If you have an E harp, by his logic third position would be if the band were in the key of F. It is actually F#.
What is always true: Here are the notes on a keyboard: C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B
or in flats:
C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B
If you have a C harp, third position is the key of D. D is two keyboard notes higher than C. The third position key (what the band is playing in) is always two keybopard notes higher than your harp key.
If the band is in the key of D and you want to play third position, you grab a C harp. C is two keyboard notes lower than D. The harp that will play in third position is always two keyboard notes lower than the band's key.
Yeah for sure but i was trying to keep it simple. Draw 4 still gives you 3rd and everybody(?) knows that that note is a tone above the 4 blow.(or should do if they thinking of position play.
Last Edited by on Dec 22, 2012 7:15 PM
