I'm playing with some family in two weeks. One of the songs we plan to play is Old Crow Medicine Show's version of "Wagon Wheel". I'd like to play the fiddle part, or some version of it, on my harp. I've been working on it for a long while (longer than I'd like to admit,) and I can't seem to find anything that sounds good.
I'm looking for any suggestions on what I should do, how I can come up w/something passable, or even a few tabbed riffs that will work.
The song can be, and has been, played in either A major or G major. OCMS has recorded it both ways. My band plays it in G. I play straight on my G harp for some of it and cross on my C for other bits. The way we do it is more of a rockin version, and I only emulate the fiddle on a few segments. Here's a vid from last summer...
1st position is great for old school fiddle stuff, but to get around really fast, you can NOT be playing really hard or you'll never be able to get the hell out of your own way. As an example, part of Charlie McCoy's uptempo cover of a country fiddle classic, the Orange Blossom Special, he plays an F in 1st position and he's playing really fast with tons of alternating blow and draw breaths and if you try to play it as hard as most players tend to do, you'll quickly get gassed trying to do it that way. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I have played this song a lot with bands and at jams. I play it in second position, using a country mixolydian approach. You should not play the blues scale.
I am often asked to sit in on it if I am in the house at a local jam or when a bluegrass/folk band is playing this song. I comp sparsely and then take solos as directed. It is a great song for harp!
I would suggest that instead of copying the fiddle you explore your own approach. ----------
For some reason your links to DropBox are not open to me. It shows a lock and chains and suggests I log in. It was the same on the "Shine" thread. ----------
You can match some of the fiddle parts nearly note for note with an A harp on this version. I use lots of chords and octaves to give it a fiddle flavor. I use a G harp on the Dylan version above.
Last Edited by Lmbrjak on Mar 31, 2014 7:42 PM
You could try the faster parts on a Paddy or Melody Maker and that would allow you to do it in 2nd pos. For something a little different, you could do the chord backing on an octave harp.
Good videos guys! ---------- Greg Jones 16:23 Custom Harmonicas greg@1623customharmonicas.com 1623customharmonicas.com
@Hawkeye, great playing there. Very tastefully done. I also liked your amped tone on that piece. It fit in really nicely. ----------
Last Edited by mr_so&so on Apr 01, 2014 10:11 AM
Thank you kindly. I usually play it amped, but occaisionally I'll play the opening licks clean on a vocal mic. The amp give me more of a horn sound on the single notes, and a Hammond sound on the chords. ----------
I've been playing this tune with two different acoustic groups...I use a D harp like Rubes (major sounding riffs and some Mixolydian stuff). I tend to not play very many chords and stick to melody lines, YMMV. ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog Rock Harmonica Lessons
