|
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Confused about chord changes on 3 draw
Confused about chord changes on 3 draw
Page:
1
Creeper
1 post
Mar 25, 2017
1:05 PM
|
Hi everybody,
I am a beginner level player, but not stone cold.
When playing along 12 bar blues in crossharp, I use the 3 draw bends like this:
half step bend on I
full step bend on IV
one and a half step bend on V
I rarely use the unbend 3 draw at all
Now I watch all these video's where they teach it like this:
unbend on I
half step bend on IV
full step bend on V
To me, both sound good.
Am i doing something wrong, or does my way of playing have something to do with minor blues?
Because they say you have to bend the 3 draw when playing in minor.
Thanks for any advice.
|
JonV
41 posts
Mar 25, 2017
2:01 PM
|
Hi,
The bends from the videos are the 'correct' ones:
Unbent on I: This is the major 3rd of the I chord.
Half step bend on IV: The minor 7th of the IV chord
Full step bend on V: the 5th of the V chord.
These are all chord notes of the respective chords (ie notes that make up the chords that the rest of the band will be playing). It can sound good to make such small changes in the note as you follow the changes and for that note to fit the
progression - there is something inherently musical about that.
For reference the chord notes for a standard non-minor blues are:
1, major 3rd, 5th, minor 7th.
The notes you play:
Half step bend on I: This is the minor third of the I chord. This note is indeed commonly played over this chord. Much of what makes blues distinct is the tension between playing the minor and major third here. So depending how and where this is played, it is not 'wrong' as such.
Also very commonly played and sung is the 'blue third' - which lives somewhere between the minor and major third - ie a quarter tone bend on the 3 hole. This is often scooped up to the unbent note too. Adam gussow has made good videos about this!
Full step bend on IV: the 6th of the IV chord. This could work as a passing note but normally the minor 7th (half step bend) would fit better. There may be folkier sounding songs where this note fits ok..
One+half step bend on V: The flat fifth of the V chord. This is a note in the 'blues scale' . The I chord equivalent (4 hole bend) would often be played over that I chord, and the interval is also often sung on that chord. For me this note doesn't really work when held over the V chord though, and the 1 step bend (perfect 5th) will likely sound better.
I would suggest spending some time working with the 'recommended' bends and getting used to how they sound - there is good reason for the recommendation to be what it is.
Maybe it would help to post a recording of you playing?
Edit to add: Re. minor blues: You are correct that playing the unbent hole 3 would not work - this would be the major third over a minor progression which can sound pretty bad! so the half step bend is good
to play here. (that would be the minor 3rd over the I chord).
The other 'recommended' notes work on the IV and V chords as the minor 7th and fifth (respectively) are also in the minor chords.
Last Edited by JonV on Mar 25, 2017 2:07 PM
|
arzajac
1817 posts
Mar 25, 2017
2:19 PM
|
Welcome Creeper! (first post!)
On the one chord in a major blues, both the major and minor third will work - the blue third is most desirable. In a Minor blues, the major third will sound bad. So major is unbent 3D, minor is half step bend and blue is in the middle - probably closer to major but certainly flat.
On the four chord, half-step bend is the minor (dominant) seventh and it is desirable. A major chord can sound nice when played with it's relative minor tonic played as a bass note (C chord over an A in the base). So if you are playing an A during the four chord, it can work. So minor 7th is the half step bend and the full step bend is that relative minor tonic.
On the five chord, the full step bend is the fifth. It probably won't sound very nice if it's sharp or flat - it will stand out. The unbend 3D is the tonic of the relative minor of the five chord and again, that can work in some ways. The three semitone bend is the flat fifth which usually doesn't work in a straight-up blues progression.
But context is everything. Anything can work in a certain context.
Be picky. Listen for what sounds right. The three hole bends are what make the diatonic sound so good *if you can control your bends*. Repeat: Be picky. Listen for what sounds right as you play.
Hit the bends right using your ears. Learn to hear when you bend down too far!
----------
Custom overblow harps. Harmonica Combs and Tools.
|
Creeper
2 posts
Mar 26, 2017
6:38 AM
|
JonV, ArZajac, thank you both for your comprehensive reply.
JonV asked me to record some, and while I did, I found out that my bends are not as in tune as I thought and rather on the sharp side. That is why it sounds close to what I aim for by using the wrong theory :-)
For the near future I am going to practice those bends with a tuner. I am also going to give these videos about scooping into the unbend 3 draw a try that JonV mentioned.
Talking about video's Azarjac, aren't you that guy with those videos about customizing the marine bands and changing bolts for screws? Those video's are very much appreciated, going to give those a try in the near future.
Thanks again, both of you!
|
arzajac
1818 posts
Mar 26, 2017
4:33 PM
|
Hi Creeper. Yes I am!
About practising bends with a tuner: Try to use your ears instead of your eyes. Once you hear it, you will find your ears are a lot more precise anyway.
There is a connection between your ears, your brain and the note you are bending - there is no connection with your eyes. In that sense, using your eyes is artificial...
----------
Custom overblow harps. Harmonica Combs and Tools.
|
Post a Message
|
