I have a few different book with songs broken down into sheet music. And the sheet music is very confusing. Ive tried figuring it out by following to songs i airway know how to play, but it's still not making sense. I get some of it, but other parts just don't add up. Especially songs with alot of pulls, reverse pulls, slaps, etc. And to make it even harder it seems people all use slightly different notation.
Does anyone have a good resource for learning sheet music?
One of the books is Dave Barrets 3rd Position Book. So i think it may be time to revisit Bluesharmonica.com.
I find that samples with audio files i can play by ear just fine, but still can't figure out the notation. ----------
Well its not exactly tabs, but since none are exactly the same, i suppose it's not actually proper sheet music.
But the issue I'm having is on the more complex songs There will be notations for pulls, slaps, reverse pull/slaps, warbles. So in a single bar there are sometimes quite a few notes. Most of which are just the chord of the slap notated and things like that, but where I'm confused is which notes do i sound and which are just notation for the tb cord? Ill attach a link to a picture if i find one. ----------
Ok here's the style that I'm talking about. This is rather simple and something everyone knows. Even though it's alot of single notes, you see the notations for Reverse Slap(R.S.) Warbles, etc. It s just confusing. And there are keys to tell you what each thing means, but it doesn't exactly explain how to play it. Because it seems some notate the chords inbetween single notes as you slap. And some notate it as the slap. Maybe im just dumb, but it confuses the heck out of me. ----------
I haven't taken the plunge into sheet music for harp. I can read bass clef pretty well from when I played baritone and sang in school. There are moveable clef systems that would seem to make sense for a diatonic instrument. That would make it so the lines always were the same no matter what. And there is tab. And there are about 50 other variations I've seen. There doesn't seem to be much standardization. There was a cartoon I saw once about a man who, seeing 50 different variations of some protocol and decided that he was going to design one protocol to unify them all. The next day there were 51 protocols. :)
I wonder if we could get one of the software guys to show the harmonica some love with a system for transcribing between different forms of sheet music and tabs.
I'm with timeistight though. Tab/sheet music is okay for getting a basic idea of what you need to do. Personally I prefer to see someone break it down in a video, but ultimately, playing it along with the original is what gets all the nuances down for me. Tell me what key it's in and what hole to start on (because I'm lazy like that!) but after that, just taking it in snippets and doing each part over and over until I've got it works better for me than tab or sheet music.
So what your saying is sheet music like this is useless??? Lol.
Like i said. I can play most of these things by ear Pretty quickly. But it would be nice to be able to see what some of the nuances in certain songs are. ----------
Some of the notation done by Glen Weiser and Steve Cohen is absolutely meticulous, but representing every minute scoop and grace note makes it very difficult to read. Sometimes there are triplets inside of triplets, (in the case of Sugar Blue). I don't read music well, am self taught and never had proper instruction. I could not possibly read That stuff without the soundtrack which is usually provided. I find it helps to work out the main notes, then go back to the notation to work on the inflections.
Music Theory for Dummies is the resource I used to solidify my meager knowledge of sight reading.
Last Edited by Chris L on Aug 15, 2016 7:29 PM
Chris L that's basically what im taking about. Some of these songs have crazy notation. And thats basically what i do. I figure all songs out by ear. But Im just looking for people take on the nuances. Seems everyone hears differently. . Lol. But thanks for the book recommendation. Ill check it out.
Nate ... not every song is available by video unfortunately. Video is def. The best way. But even songs that are available by video dont always teach the nuances. Sometimes they are just the basic boring version.
Time. I dont have a perticular song in mind. I just have a few books that i bought and ive been going through them trying to see each writers take on the nuances of the songs. Because it seems each person hears and plays slightly different versions of each song. So the basic notes aren't really what im concerned about. Its all the subtleties. But unfortunately any song Fully Notated with every little inflection is super complicated and confusing to read.
It seems that everyone pretty much feels as i do. So atleast its not me.
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Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Aug 16, 2016 6:16 AM
Break it down Mang. Little pieces. Thing with Dave's stuff is that he notates all the articulations and that can make it look harder than it is. It looks like 2 things when really it's just kinda more like one thing. I mean when he notates a slap he will show the chord (in brackets I think) and then the note. Which looks like two things...because it is 2 things. But when you play it, you just do one thing. Well it seems like that to me. You start to blow, say, and you slap your tongue on the face of the harp so a single note sounds. All that seems like one action to me, but it's notated as 2 things. Obviously you get the same kind of thing in reverse with the lifts. So you're looking at the notes and you can't get the rhythm because there looks to be all this complicated action going on, and when you listen to the record it doesn't seem to match up. It's kinda like binary notation, where you need to enter a value for the spaces as well Anyway, when you get used to it, it can help you catch some subtle action but it's pretty tough to read it cold and try to play along. He is quite a meticulous transcriber though. If you do some of his play along video lessons and tag along with the sheets, you'll start to get the hang of it enough to decipher things when you really want to know. I reckon And don't worry that you may not want to play those actual songs. There are some useful things in them
You're not talking aout notation, you're talking about tablature (tab).
The difference between the two is important:
-- Notation tells you the result but not how to get it (flute and piano can read the same notation).
-- Tab tells you how to get the result on a specific instrument but doesn't describe the result (you can't read guitar tab on harmonica unless you play both and know how to translate between them).
BTW, the term "sheet music" always refers to notation out there in the mainstream world.
While I have transcribed harmonica solos to notation and tabbed them out, my feeling is that the blues greats never learned that way and maybe you should, too. Learn to use your own ears.
The most common technique shorthand I run into when when reading music are bowing instructions for string instruments. Piano music has shorthand for pedal use. Sometimes trombone sheet music will have a notation recommending which of multiple available slide positions should be used to get a particular note. It seams reasonable that you could have a few notations that could be used on sheet music to describe how to play a passage on a harmonica.
It seems like the standard method of writing for transposing instruments would work for harmonica also. The fundamental of the instrument is written as C. If you wanted to write for any harmonica you would write a middle C for the hole 1 blow note. If you wanted it to be played on G harp you would jut write that on the part right where you would normally see Eb alto sax or Bb trumpet. I would suspect this is how it is done for a studio musician, perhaps someone who been there can tell me if this is correct.
Bee Thats exactly what I'm talking about. I sort of understand what Dave is trying to notate. Or rather what he IS notating. But its so hard to figure out completely. And there is so much notation in one bar sometimes that it seems impossible to play. especially while your listening. But Dave's stuff has the CD so I can just play by ear. But even by ear I still dont hear ALL the things he is notating. And the problem also is that only a very select few of the songs have audio. So you must figure the rest out by reading the notation. And ofcourse all the ones I want to learn are not on the CD. I was actually looking for a book by Dave Barrett that would walk me through his notation. Like on a "hold your hand" level. Just to make sure Ive got it right. I ll Check out those you mentioned. Thanks.
Winslow
I can and Do figure out 99% of what I play by ear. But Im currently going through one of Daves books and well I described that issue above. But also I bought some books that Dont have audio. Some of these are actual song that I can listen to on the Record of the artist. But the ones Im most interested in are just Boogie rythms, Shuffle Rythms, Etc. So there is no possible way to listen to what it is they are notating. So if I cant figure out how to read it, the books are useless. Your Blues Harmonica For Dummies book has a bit of notation help. That did help a bit. But the problem also is that, As you said, they are Tabs. So everyones are different. But they still are in the same style just with slightly different layout. So if I can figure out one, I should be good for the rest.
Anyways, the point is, I just wanted to learn this to get some new material. Not to learn any specific song. There arent a plethora of original Rhythms on youtube or on any other audio/video source I can find. So I have resorted to this.
Notation is the written representation of played notes and rhythm, etc. Most usually this means ugly classical "dots and tails" stuff. Some are more precise and full in their scope and so often are very hard to learn or require fancy programs to write them. Other (tab) notations show a much smaller portion of the detail usually with virtually no rhythm. Harmonica players by and large, are not big fans of the detailed sort of notation mostly because they want to get the BASIC idea and then to IMPROVISE as they want. The question is: How much detail can we avoid and how much is worthwhile?
Some reasons for needing music notation for the harp are: 1. Communication - quick "napkin scratching" to email, forums & full detail archiving 2. Analysis - breakdown detail of note patterns, beats, connectors & structure 3. Learning - muscle memory lick practices and accurate "classical" playing 4. Transposing - moving lick positions via a computer to re-tab the piece
A good notation system should not only be ACCURATE and CONCISE, it should also be easily learned, be visually INTUITIVE and at least account for the most COMMON occurrence of notes, RHYTHM & ornamentation. In the end, it should encourage less time on notation and more time on improvising.
I agree. Learning by ear and the heart is the best method. But notation and tab has a place as your comments rightfully address.
Winslow's closing statement, "Learn to use your own ears" is some sage advice!
I play with many musicians. I know some who have marvelous technical skills but who need some sort of notation to play a phrase let alone an entire song. Most of my favorite music is improvisational by nature. That, by definition demands the ability to play without written notation. That leaves some of the musicians I know out in the cold.
I know a couple excellent guitarists who cannot play with others because they either need to have written notation or they have to practice a song for a month and can only play it the way they practice it. If you play with them you cannot deviate one iota from their version or it stops them cold. They just don't know what to do when that happens. Kinda boring.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't learn to read standard notation or the various tablature systems out there. (Sight reading for a diatonic harmonica is a unique challenge in its own right.) I can "decipher" SN and, with the key, can decipher tabs. But I find that they slow me down considerably and are useful only for grokking a melody or phrase.
But I vastly prefer a sound file played back with Amazing Slow-Downer or my personal favorite, Best Practice, to slow the tune or phrase down at the same pitch. I am a life-long melodic whistler and pride myself in my ability to whistle a melody on hearing it once. I take even more pride in having transferred that ability to my harmonica playing. It takes me very little time to be able to reproduce a melody or phrase on a harmonica or to fit in with others.
Having cultivated that ability has been a huge help in playing live music with others. I play a lot at the most popular Open Mic' in my small town. People know I can quickly fit in with almost any song in any genre. So I get asked to play a lot while the musicians who need notation or to have to practice a song endlessly play only in their own sets. I have little difficulty putting a band together because the musicians in my area know my playing skills and my ability to play with others.
Not to toot my horn but I just played at an annual local Country/Bluegrass/Old Timey Open' Mic. It's a pretty big deal. People come from all over the country to play or listen. There must have been $100K in old Martin guitars in attendance. I had never been before and wasn't planning on a warm reception (blues is my preferred genre and bluegrass purists often don't care for harmonicas in the mix). But one bluegrass flat picker friend recognized me and asked me up. After that I played more than any other musician and had a ball.
Bottom line: learn to read but put that SN or tablature down as soon as possible.
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Last Edited by mlefree on Aug 18, 2016 2:30 AM
I don't think reading music is much different than reading text, except very few people are willing to admit it if they can't read text, whereas a few folks almost brag about not being able to read music.
If you have been around a child learning to read, you will see that they practice over and over long after they have memorized "See spot run". They bring out their book and they "read" you a passage. You can tell they are reciting from memory but they think they are reading. In a way they are, they are associating those characters on the page with the words in their head and before long, they can read accurately a passage they have never seen before. As adult musicians, we tend to focus on the music and (unlike the reading child) we drop the notation as soon as we can play a passage without it. If we would spend a bit more time "reading" that passage we already have memorized, we would soon find the notation making sense, and become much more comfortable reading things we have not seen before, if they are at about the same level of difficulty as what we have been learning by rote.
On a side note and in response to what Michelle was writing about, learning to read will not impede your ability to spin a good yarn on the fly. In fact, the more of others works you have read, the more you will have to draw on when you are telling a tale off the cuff. The skill to read a story to an audience out of a book is different, but related, to the ability to make up and tell a story on the fly, in the same way, reading music off a page is different, but related to improvising. Both are good skills to have and they complement each other.
So if you have learned to read text, you can learn to read music (or any tablature system), if you apply the same time and effort to music you did to text. Too bad they didn't teach us all both in elementary school!
Steve, I didn't mean that by definition all musicians who can read are also unable to improvise. But at some point if you want to play improvised music you have to break away from reading as your only mode of playing.
Having big ears and listening to music ~a lot~ is also a good way to obtain a deep repertoire. I propose that it is a far more accessible, quicker and more fun way than reading a lot of music scores.
I used to sight read bass clef when I played the tuba. I'm glad I did but the challenge of reading SN for harmonicas is one that is supplanted by ~many~ other harmonica-related efforts that have far higher yield for me. You not only have to sight read but you have to be able to transpose -- on the fly. Classical musicians work for decades to do that on instruments that are far easier to read for. That's not to say that if you already read SN that it is a bad thing, just that starting to read for diatonic harmonicas from scratch is a Mount Everest of an effort with relatively low pay off. I think there are better ways to spend your harp time.
But the original question had to do with the complexities of reading tablature. It depends a lot on how you learn. I'm more of a visual and auditory learner than a didactic book learner. I'm kinda with Henry Ford when he said, "Learn by doing," not reading about it (I added the last part). Harmonica tablature is necessary to communicate the nuances of playing the instrument -- on paper. There are other ways to do that.
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
yea well until I can get a video with 100 different shuffles, Boogies, etc. I'll continue to try to learn reading.
Shagganappi That was very well put.
STME I like your take aswell.
Once I learn something I no longer need the Tabs. And For 99% of things I dont need the tabs at all. I think I ve been pretty clear on what im trying to do. But I guess some people just like to hear themselves talk.
I think not only for sharing a new idea on a rythm ( which is very hard on paper as Shagg already mentioned) But mostly for tabbing out the nuances. the things that you really cant hear. OR you can, but you may hear them differently than they really are. Or possibly you have a more interesting way of doing it. I dont know, but the point is it is useful to learn. And if I couldnt learn by ear I wouldnt be able to play anything, so I think its obvious that learning by ear is exactly what I have been doing.
Shagg I think a standard way of tab that could somehow easily be sight read and somehow display the rhythm would be gold. the rhythm is obviously the hardest part. Like you said .. quickly after I learn something I off and running Twisting it every which way and Improving it. But as STME said The more you learn the more pieces you have to draw upon in your improv. So it's all tied together. I dont think learning by reading is in anyway limiting. I think the more ways you can learn something the better. ----------
STME58- The I'm not sure if this is quite the same as what you are describing, but maybe? you are describing moveable do? Basically you'd pick one line for 'Do' or the one hole, and no matter what key harp you were supposed to grab that line would always be the one hole. You'd know which harp to grab from the key signature, or just have it written there instead of the key signature (since we don't really need to know anything except accidentals as long as we have the right harp in hand).
Shaganappi- If I was starting from scratch, trying to adapt notation so it showed both 'how it is supposed to be played' and leaving room for improvisation I think I'd take advantage of a printer's ability to write some things lighter than others. Use a regular strike for the notes that you have to hit to make the song sound like it's supposed to, and then for notes you are 'allowed' to change use a fainter strike, maybe with the chord number written under the sheet music? Of course, that would be a pain to write out, but then again, writing out tab is a bit of a pain anyway.
Michelle- It's funny how many harp players used to play tuba or baritone or other oversized instruments back in the day. I wonder if maybe we all one day got tired of carrying a giant instrument case around, threw it down in disgust and walked into the music store and said 'What is the smallest real instrument you've got?' I wonder if pennywhistle forums also have a lot of ex-bass brass players.
Nate, I think "Movable DO" and scoring for a transcribing instrument may be the same thing.
If I am writing for Alto Sax (Eb) and I want a Eb, I write a C. For a trumpet I get a Bb when I write a C. If I want both instruments to play a concert C, I write a D for the trumpet (hole step up) and an A for the sax (Step and a half down). So if you are reading a trumpet part on a Bb harmonica, play hole 1 blow when you see a C and you are on track. If you are reading a Alto sax part on an Eb harp, same thing works.
Yup, rhythm is essential for a notation to work well. QWERTY and simple single line notation nice too. But it can be pretty good with a supplied demo. I really like the ones supplied by Ronnie Shellist. Nothing generally too complex mind you but there is a certain relaxed flavor that Ronnie provides that I appreciate very much. But certainly Barrett, Gussow and Yerxa are well done and are usually very tight per rhythm and detail.
I have pretty well given up promoting rhythm tab notation. Just not enough serious interest by most players. People either take the opposite ends of the argument and just say either “Best to learn completely by ear.” or that “Why not learn Standard Music notation, it’s not really that hard.” After all, the harp is imo, mostly to most players, about improvising. I believe that a certain amount of each argument is valid but both are a bit extreme.
But like Killa said, without provided music, the tab without any decent rhythm is often just useless. And with any added complexity of chording and nuanced flourishes, the chances of a compact system is pretty well impossible. Particularly with rhythm.
Tab can be completely notated with rhythm and fairly simply imo. But to expect it to be almost instantly learned is not possible. Standard Music notation is really not that easy albeit lots of people will say it is - to which comment I strongly disagree. Most anyone who is really good at reading SM, particularly rhythm, has completely forgot how much time and practice they have put on learning it.
I feel for you Killa. Gold is not easily achieved...
I've taught guitar for over 20 years. Learning to read SN is a very easy thing to do. There's a handful of rules* *"Every Green Bus Drives Fast", Notes in a space spell "FACE" and for the bass clef, "Good Bassists Deserve Funk Always", "All Cows Eat Grass". And then figuring out the key sigs.
However, sight reading SN is very hard.
Get a note pad, write out your harp layout. Get a SN book from your local library. Work out then write out, the order of notes. The rhythm and nuances you put in "by ear".
I think both Shaganappi and Gerry make good points. I don't think reading sheet music is any harder than reading English text, but, like Shaganappi says, most of us have forgotten just how much effort we put into getting proficient at reading text.
Like so many things, harmonica especially, learning a bit to see satisfying results is easy, mastery is hard.
Gerry's suggestion to write things out brought to mind this tool I wrote and have presented before. I use it to help me decide which harmonica to use for a given piece of sheet music. It is written in Excel and shows a Richter harmonica layout, a circle of fifths, and a piano keyboard. You can select the key of the harmonica and the note names on the harp layout will change. You can select the mode, and it will grey out the notes not in that mode on the selected harp. There are probably better tools like this out there, but this is my home grown version.
Nate writes " I wonder if pennywhistle forums also have a lot of ex-bass brass players." I am a trombone player and the portability of the harp was very much a factor in my deciding to play the harp. I also keep a couple of pennywhistles in my kit.
Nate, I don't think my decision to rebound from the size of a Sousaphone was a conscious one. But I do now that when I picked up harmonicas 15 years ago I knew I wanted an instrument that I could carry in my pocket or purse.
And a far as my smallest instrument, if you exclude my mini-harmonicas, it would be one of my Eastern European jaw harps. They're an odd shape and their tongues are delicate so they don't lend themselves to be carried casually in a pocket or purse.
But the instrument I play the most weighs nothing. I am a life-long melodic whistler.
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Michelle, I see in an earlier post in this tread that you may have taken my "in response to" to mean "in rebuttal to". I was actually agreeing with you that reading and improvising complement each other and learning to read does not hinder improvisation.
I consider myself semi literate in music. I can sight read bass clef pretty well if the rhythms are not too complex and can sight read treble clef a little. I felt the sting of illiteracy last Friday when tune with a great trombone part was called and then rescinded with the comment, "Steve can't read tenor clef" (yet).
In an attempt to help speed my learning of other clefs, I found this helpful tool. It puts up a line of notes for you to name and grades and times you on it. Notation Training
Last Edited by STME58 on Aug 21, 2016 7:42 AM
Personally, I find Barrett's notation system sort of silly. There's all of these elaborate tablature symbols for technique that is position specific, but ALL of the music is written in the key of C no matter what key the tune is actually in. Pretty useless compared to, say, a Blues Real Book that gives you notation in he actual key of the tune and isn't cluttered with a bunch of tab symbols that only work for one position. I don't sight read, but I can figure out a chart if I need to. But WTF good is a chart if it doesn't even give you the proper key?
Last Edited by hvyj on Aug 21, 2016 8:27 AM
I am a fan of almost everything Joe Filisko but I particularly appreciate his tablature. His penmanship is distinctive, easy to read and borders on elegant. You can tell he's seen and drawn many blueprints.
Here's what Adam has to say about it: “I love these tracks. Great stuff! The rhythms really percolate. Spiky and alive”."Jimi Lee's Blues Grooves are the best in the business. It hurts me to say that, because I'm selling a couple of sets of jam tracks off my own website, but honesty forces me to admit: Jimi has me licked. I love 'em! He's got pretty much every rhythm that a blues harmonica player (or guitarist, pianist, or sax player) needs to know, and he has NAMED them all; some of the grooves here are things I've played dozens of times at gigs or jam sessions, but I never knew how to ask the rhythm section for what I wanted. Now I do. Jimi's tracks come in the major blues keys--E, A, and G--and he's got enough in each key, sequentially, to let you blow the hell out of one harp before moving on to the next. Best of all, he's come up with a stripped-down rhythm section that feels like the cream of the Austin crop. These guys hold down some awesome grooves: tight, alive, and right in the pocket. None of that soul-less computer generated crap. So if you're a developing player--or a pro like me--you're going to have your game lifted up a couple of notches, just by hanging on for the ride. This is a premium collection, worth every cent."
Adding my own resounding endorsement would be redundant. Best $30 you'll spend on learning to play blues harmonica with other musicians.
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
"ALL of the music is written in the key of C no matter what key the tune is actually in. Pretty useless compared to, say, a Blues Real Book that gives you notation in he actual key of the tune and isn't cluttered with a bunch of tab symbols that only work for one position."
Here's why David writes notation on the musical staff for C-harp:
That way, Draw 2 is ALWAYS on the second line of the staff, instead of moving around. Every note on the harp always appears on the same line or space no matter what key of harp you're using. SO you don't ahve to wrack your brain to map each different key of harp to different lines and spaces on the staff.
Saxophones, clarinets, trumpets, French horns - they all use this system. They're known as *transposing *instruments. Finger a C scale on a flute, you get a C scale. But the same fingering on a clarinet or tenor sax and you'll get a Bb scale, while on an alto sax you'll get an Eb scale. The same player might switch among all four instruments in the course of a single song, so they need to always read the same notes for the same fingering to avoid getting hopelessly confused.
The trumpet and French horn used to be diatonic instruments like the harmonica. Only instead of a box of harmonicas, they'd have a box of crooks - lengths to tubing that would fit between the mouthpiece and the body of the horn that would change the key. Again, they might using the same method (this was before these instruments had keys and fingerings) to create different notes in different keys, so transposing for them made good sense.
So you see, David is simply trying to make things easier for you by following something that writers for other instruments have been doing for hundreds of years.
David Barrett and the Blues Real Book are serving different purposes.
David is writing instructionally, specifically for the harmonica, and specifically for a particular position. So of course he's going to hard-wire his writing to those specific intentions.
A real book or fake book is giving a melody to players of all instruments and so will give notation in a specific key.
But wait - most jazz fake books and solo transcription books come in a C version, a Bb version, and an Eb version, with the latter two transposed so that trumpet, clarinet, and sax players won't have to re-transpose the music they're reading to be in the same key as guitar, piano, and singers.
So, writing for transposing instruments (including the diatonic harmonica) is intended to help everyone get along.
Winslow, I understand what you are saying, but, with all due respect, it doesn't make sense. Even if you notate all tunes as if they were in the key of C, that does NOT mean that the root note will always be in the same location on the harmonica. Suppose a tune is written in Cm. C will be 2 blow, 6 draw, 4 draw, or 2 draw depending on whether I choose to play in 5th, 4th, 3rd or 2d position. So the notion that writing all tunes as if they were in C keeps the root note in the same place is BS--simply untrue because the location of C changes depending on the position used, not only the key signature.
He's not writing as if all tunes are in C. He's writing as if they were all played on a C harmonica. Big difference. That way, each note on the harmonica always stays in the same place on the staff. =========== Winslow
Yeah, ok. But that ain't how it works in real life. I get that some simplification is necessary for pedagogical purposes, but if there is a difference between this sort of simplification and make believe it is eluding me.
winslow is a talented and gifted person. he is also very generous. he is trying to help you. he wrote a book..... harmonica for dummies. perhaps you could invest in a copy.
If I want to play along with a group reading out of fake books, I would choose the book with the least accidentals for that tune, grab the appropriate harmonica, and read it like I was playing a C harp. For example, lets say the tune is in G minor concert pitch. The C instrument book will show 2 flats (Bb) the Eb book will have 1 sharp (G) and the Bb book will have no sharps of flats (C). If I grab a Bb book and Bb harp, play a 1 blow when I see a written C, I will be playing along in concert G minor.
Lets say the next song is in F major. If I stick with the Bb book and the Bb harp, I will still use blow one when I see a C (or blow 4,7 or 10 depending on the octave). I will see one sharp in the key signature so when I see a written F I need to sharp it. That F# I would play just like on a C Harp, 2 draw bend down a half step (or 5 OB or 9 OD depending on the octave). You might recognize this as second position (F on a Bb harp) but if you have a Bb harp and a Bb book, you read it just like it was a C harp playing C. You could also choose the F book and an F harp, still play blow one when you see a C and still be playing along in F but in first position.
This is really the same as the sax player switching from Alto (Eb) to Tenor (Bb), changing from the Eb to the Bb book, and fingering the instrument exactly the same for the notes seen on the page.
If you have learned to read in C on a C harmonica, if you get a chance to work with a group playing sheet music, you can grab the C, Eb, Bb, or F part along with the harp in the same key, play it like it was a C harp, and it will come out right, irrespective of what key the music is written in (if you see a bunch of sharps or flats, you will need a lot of overblows, or another book and another harp). If the C part has 4 flats, that is tough to play on a C harp so you might want to grab the Eb book and an Eb harp. Again, you read it just like you are playing a C harp but you will be in 12th position.
This is not simple or intuitive. It takes a lot to wrap you head around it, and I am not fully there yet. I had to really think about it to write this, if I made an error, I am sure someone will correct me. The cool thing is, once you learn to read music in concert pitch on a C harp, you won't have to change a thing if you are reading a Bb part using a Bb harp, or an Eb part using a Eb harp.
"Yeah, ok. But that ain't how it works in real life. I get that some simplification is necessary"
That's exactly how it works in real life, and there's no simplification going on. It's translation, not simplification. It's exactly what composers and arrangers to do for saxophones, clarinets, trumpets, French horns and other transposing instruments. Everything from Beethoven to movie scores to the orchestra backing Lady Gaga singing duets with Tony Bennett use exactly this type of transposition. =========== Winslow
Well, help me out here Winslow, because I must be missing something. If everything is written in C, how are the musicians supposed to know what key the tune is to be played in? The only times I've been REQUIRED to work from sheet music is for theatrical pit orchestra gigs and the charts always had key signatures. If everything is written in C, how is the actual key the tune is to be performed in determined?
@1847: I own and have read Winslow's HARMONICA FOR DUMMIES book. But he has also written at least one other harmonica instruction book.
@STME58: Having no formal music training, my method for playng from a chart is more primitive than yours. I look at the key signature to determine the key (or keys if there is a modulation) of the tune. Then I label each note with a number corresponding to the degree of the scale (of the key) that note stands for. Then I pick the position that lays those notes out the best and work from the numbers since I know which hole corresponds to what degree of the scale in the positions I use. Not what they teach at Juilliard or Berklee I'm sure, but it works for me.
Take a look at this score from the Dallas Brass. This piece is in Bb. The Tuba and Trombone are concert pitch instruments so they are in Bb and have 2 flats in the key signature. The trumpets are scored in Bb so their parts appear to be in C with no sharps or flats in order to sound in Bb. When the trumpet player sees a C on the score a C is fingered and the trumpet sounds a Bb. The French Horn is scored in F so it has one flat. When the horn player sees a C, C is fingered and the horn sounds an F.
If you look at the first note of the first measure you will see the trombone and tuba are both scored Bb, the horn is scored F and the trumpets are scored C. All of these will sound concert Bb.
If you scroll down to page 10 and look at the individual parts, you will see a note at the top of the page telling you what instrument the part is scored for. Tuba and Trombone are non transposing so there is no additional modifier. Horns are sometimes pitched in F and trumpets are available in many keys with C being the most common after Bb, so the key is included in the description.
There is nothing wrong with your method. The key signature tells you a lot. In fact, if the piece has no accidentals, you know that it can be played on a harp in the key of the key signature, irrespective of what mode it is in (Major, Minor, Dorian, Mixolydian, etc). However, if the part is for a transposing instrument you will need to make the appropriate adjustment. For example, a trumpet part with a key signature of D and no accidentals will lay out well on a C harp. When playing a trumpet part using a Bb harp, written C will always be hole 1 blow, no matter what key it is written in. The same can be said of a French horn part and an F harp, an Alto sax part and a Eb harp, A trombone or other non-transposing instrument and a C harp.
OK, some practical applications for treating the diatonic harmonica as a transposing instrument.
You're playing in a pit orchestra and the first piece is marked "Harmonica in Bb." The tune is titled "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and the first note written on your part is E, top space on the treble staff.
Now, if you didn't know that your part was transposed for you, you'd be saying to yourself, "Bloody hell! my first note is a Hole 5 overblow!" - because, as is always the case in my experience, there's no tab to help the harp player. But if you do know your part is transposed for the key of instrument you're playing, then you say - "OK, piece of cake; top space, E - that's Blow 5," and on you go - you're playing in first position and everything's fine. The piece is really in Bb, and you're reading and playing as if it were in C, but you don't bloody care because the right notes are coming out and the conductor is smiling.
Next number is titled "Saint James Infirmary," and it directs you to play an Ab harp, and the key signature is one sharp (F#, top line of the staff), indicating either G major (second position) or E minor (fifth position). First written notes are E (first line), G (second line) and B (third line) - OK, it's like I'm outlining an E minor chord. , so fifth position. But of course I'm on an Ab harp, so I'm really playing in C minor. Not that I really need to know that. All I really have to know is the key of the harmonica to use, and then just read as if for a C harmonica.
The third number is titled "The Star Spangled Banner." You're directed to play an F# harmonica, and the key signature is one sharp (again, G major). The first three notes are D (fourth line), B (third line) and G (second line) - oh, looks like second position - must really be in C# (wow). The arranger must have written it in second position so that prominent sharp 4 in the scale is an easy Draw 4 bend. But, wait a minute - does this really use the full major scale in second position? Might need that 5 overblow in this one. And, of course everything is fine until you reach that written F# (the 5 overblow you were dreading) in the melody - dang, I could have avoided that problem if I'd brought a country-tuned harp in F# - need that one all the time, right? (And you're too busy fretting about that to stop and reflect that the actual key signature in concert pitch would be 7 sharps!)
Despite what I just wrote though, most of the time harmonica is scored at actual pitch, even when the key of harmonica is indicated. This is true even when a harmoncia player is directing the project. I transcribed John Popper's solos for the songbook to the CD "four" and Howard Levy's solos for his instructional DVD "Out of the Box."
I asked Popper whether he wanted the harmonica parts written at pitch or transposed. I anticipated a discussion of the advantages of each approach, but he simply chose actual pitch without any hesitation. Done.
For "Out of the Box," each of the 12 tunes is in a different position, but they're all played on a C harp, so the point was moot anyway.
That said, Howard is the kind of guy who might choose any harp in any position to play a tune, so actual pitch works best in his world. Also, he's showed up to recording sessions where the music was all written a semitone too low (for whatever odd reason) and he had to sight transpose on the fly.
I've played the musicals "Big River" and "Floyd Collins," both also notated at actual pitch (and not tabbed). Nowadays they give you an original cast recording so you can hear everything in advance.
For Big River it was obvious that everything was played in second position on diatonic except for a few bass harmonica bits (and some jaw harp and tambourine). However, they don't tell you what harp to use. In one or two spots I used chromatic where I thought it made a better sound to suit the mood.
For Floyd Collins they tell you exactly which key of harp t use at every given moment, and often you're switching harps every few bars (with shifting time signatures at the same time). A ways into the run of the show I started to realize that I could in fact play long stretches without all that mad harp switching, and for one complex sequence I even cooked up a special tuning that would make it easier. And for the opening number, the score specified chromatic but I used diatonic because I though it sounded better. However, on another number where the part was just chord slashes and was played on a high G harp on the recording, I substituted an F chromatic and improvised a part that the conductor really liked.
These substitutions illustrate something i read in a book on orchestration (writing for orchestra). The author pointed out that just because you specify an instrument doesn't mean that's what you'll get. The player may know that s/he can get a surer result on a similar instrument (or simply may not possess that weird F sopranino saxophone that Ravel specified for Bolero but can play the part just fine on a regular soprano and you'd never know unless you looked real hard).
So when David Barrett started treating the diatonic harmonica as a transposing instrument, he was swimming against the tide of current practice, even though it makes reading easier. I'd always been aware of the possibilities, but the opportunity never came up. We'll see whether he changes the course of common practice. =========== Winslow
Winslow, Thank you for taking the time to write your insights and experiences into scoring for the harmonica. It is something I have been curious about. I note that the software I use for what little scoring I do, Finale, only has Harmonica, not Harmonica in 12 keys, so I suspected it would be scored in concert pitch. It makes so much sense to score it in the key of the harp you are writing for though. It was interesting to read how it plays out in the real world. Thanks again.
It seems to me that maybe the time has come to switch entirely to electronic music notation. The ability, for those of us for whom transposing is a slow and arduous process, to just click a button and see it whichever way we want seems like a no brainer.
Unfortunately, most of the sheet music I've seen online is stored as images of sheet music instead of as a musical document. A quick Google search and there is such a thing as OCR for sheet music, so you could do character recognition to turn it into a file that could be automatically transposed. There are even a couple free programs for it. I'll have to look into that more later.
There may be a way in Finale to create a transposing instrument and then use the sound patch for harmonica (if you even want to hear the lame-sounding harmonica patch). The new version, just announced, may also offer new possibilities in that area. =========== Winslow
