SuperBee
4214 posts
Oct 26, 2016
6:36 PM
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I just did a count of the various keys my band plays for our list.
Of 42 numbers, 17 are in A and 13 are in E. So around 72% of our list requires me to use just 2 harps. Some of the A songs are in 1st position, but that's still an A harp which I'm using for the E songs. All the E songs are in 2nd.
I carry an A and a D everywhere I go, because I know those are the harps I use most. I just hadn't realised quite how much more I use them.
I using an A harp on 16 songs and a D harp on 14
The next most common would be the C harp I use on 6 (5 second position songs plus one in first position)
I use a Bb on 3
An F on 1
And chromatic on 1, perhaps 2 (or maybe a G on 1)
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dchurch
51 posts
Oct 28, 2016
7:18 PM
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I don't have any stats to back it up but I do know that A is my favorite harp to play. I have multiple A's in different makes and models. I recently bought a Lucky 13 to test drive. In the key of A.
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It's about time I got around to this.
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MindTheGap
1849 posts
Oct 30, 2016
5:49 AM
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Sound about right. I think we have more songs in the key of E than A, but they are dominant keys.
Our singing is shared, so we have transposed some from the standard key. D is quite common, so it's G-harp 2nd position. Because of my love of 3rd position, I'll use the G-harp for A as well. And Bb-harp for C, rather than shrieking on an F-harp.
I used to think I liked the A-harp best for just solo playing, but now I prefer Bb-harp. I like hearing a D-harp when other people play it, but not so much when I play it. It's got a great insistent sound - probably the classic blues-harp sound. But those 3D bends are never really right are they? No, even when the pros play them. They have the oomph to carry them off though, and I don't.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Oct 30, 2016 5:51 AM
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Killa_Hertz
1856 posts
Oct 31, 2016
5:54 AM
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I tend to play my A the most aswell. Bb was my favorite for a while, but it's sort of shifted down a bit to A. Particularly my Session Steel in A. It's just a great playing harp And feels really good to TB.
I dont mind the higher harps actually, but not much for solo play. I have to be playing along with the right song. I love playing the High harps to Rice Miller stuff.
MTG Have you ever considered a Low F?
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MindTheGap
1850 posts
Oct 31, 2016
9:30 AM
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Re Low F - well, yes, I have one. Logically it was going to be a most useful harp - C in 2nd or G in 3rd position. No screeching, nice warm notes and bends properly in control. But for some reason, it's remained in the box. I've not rationalised why.
I think it might be because of the sound. We've remarked before about the surprisingly big difference in sound and feel between even adjacent keyed harps. Lo-F does seem to have crossed the line into 'Low Harp' territory. Not that I don't like it, but it's a different kind of thing.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Oct 31, 2016 9:31 AM
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ME.HarpDoc
205 posts
Nov 01, 2016
4:44 PM
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MTG. I found when I was at a jam and I tune came up in C, I would decide between an F or a low F depending on what the song felt like. I often comped in low F and switched to F for a solo. Now I just reach for my Lucky 13 and I've got the full range in the palm of my hand, literally. I love it!
I would agree with the OP that D and A are the most frequently used in the jams I attend.
Last Edited by ME.HarpDoc on Nov 01, 2016 4:46 PM
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SuperBee
4232 posts
Nov 02, 2016
1:41 PM
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Much like MTG said about low F holds true also for me
I bought a T bird about 5 years ago and it's had very little use. My other Low F is an 1847. It's had more use but that's because I sharpened 5 draw and used it in lessons with Jimi Lee. He freaked a bit when I suggested retuning my t bird. So I bought a session which quickly broke, then I just retuned an 1847.
But I don't use lowF as a rule.
Standard F I use for Messin' with The Kid. I used to do Sloppy Drunk and Caldonia in that key but I swapped them out to A and G respectively. Sloppy Drunk may have been a mistake. Currently working on Down Child with an F harp.
I'm basically a 2nd position player who is getting my head around 1st. I don't play 3rd at all really except a dabble on chromatic.
So the A harp gets a run in A as well as E, and the C harp I also use in First. Bb is fine to play in first but the bass player does not like to play that key so it's strictly a second position harp.
The other day at a jam I called Last Night in D, (1st time I'd ever played it, just listened to the song 3 times as I drove to the jam and memorised the words). Coincidentally the bass man at the jam was my regular bass player. After the song he remarked to me about the harp. He is used to hearing me play A harp but G was noticeably mellower to him. Just one whole tone down.
That's something I like about First position on the lower octave. It puts s C harp into much the same range as a low F in second. The flat seventh and 5th below notwithstanding. Ditto for an A harp, it's like playing a Low E in second without the asthma attack
I repaired a lot of harps for a player who has since become a seydel -endorsed player. There were 19 harps represented, but they were all A, Bb, C and D. Another 'semi-pro' player I have done work for is an A C D only guy. Certainly my ordering history of new reeds reflects those 3 keys are most in demand for repairs.
People say you need to carry a full set, and if you are playing jams or sitting in I think that's probably wise. If you are a pro doing pick up gigs and studio work you definitely need a full set. But for me, a set of F C G D A Bb covers >99% of anything I want to play. If only someone would convince the manufacturers to drop the E from their sets and replace with F or Bb. I think they include E out of cynicism. And for Rolling Stones fans (midnight rambler).
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