I just got a A harmonic minor LO from Rockin Ron's. I really think this kind of music is a lot of fun and super easy to improvise around on. Anyone else mess around with this type of harp?
Nice. I enjoy playing my LO natural and harmonic monor harps. I've got three keys in each. Lot easier than trying to learn the chromatic, which I am, but...
I have had a couple of LO Harmonic Minors in Gm & Am for years. I agree they are super easy to improvise on and to easily get something going that sounds very ethnic.
I have a limited repertoire of actual tunes ie I don't know many ethnic tunes. Apart from improvisation I have found that tunes like 'Come back to Sorrento', 'Stenka Rasin (Carnival is over)' 'Kalinka' & 'Volga Boatmen' are a good fit. Actually anything works eg even the National Anthem except that it sounds like it is a Gypsy version.
I've got two Lee Oskars I've barely touched for sale cheap. An Em (harmonic) and Am (harmonic) , also Natural Minors in labled in those same keys - though they are actually labled in 'cross harp" so are not actually the same keys. Email me if interested. ----------
I also play some LO natural minors and harmonica minors. I do like them, but the more I learn to play 3th and 4th position the less I use the LO minors...
spiral harmonic minor has 100% notes "open" - i.e. no bends required. Logical pattern throughout all 10 holes. Lots of chords, and all are enharmonic.
solo harmonic minor is the mid octave of the richter version - repeated 3 times across 12 holes. DFAbB (draws) is the most "harmonic" part of the richter version - and this note combination remains for all 3 octaves.
Since I play circular tunings, I like the spiral version more. And on superlow keys the absence of bends make the richter version simply useless... ---------- Free Harp Learning Center
For Lee Oskar's first solo album in 1976 (titled Lee Oskar) he used a Harmonic Minor in B for the whole of side one... ---------- KiwiRick
Last Edited by on Mar 09, 2011 12:24 PM
Harmonic minor sounds like playing in 3th position, Natural minor sounds like 4th position playing. ---------- www.sweetportblues.com http://www.myspace.com/arnoudbluesharp
Natural minor is flat 3d, flat 6th, flat 7th. Harmonic minor is flat 3d, flat 6th MAJOR 7th.
You can play both natural minor AND harmonic minor in 3rd and 4th positions w/o OBs.
4TH POSITION, NATURAL MINOR SCALE (in 2 registers): D3** D3 B4 D4 B5 D5 B6 D6 D6 D7 B7 D8 B8 D9 B9 D10 (also can get flat 7th in lower register at D2)
4TH POSITION, HARMONIC MINOR SCALE: D3** D3 B4 D4 B5 D5 D6* D6 (also can get major 7th in lower register at D3***)
3RD POSITION, NATURAL MINOR SCALE: D1 B2 D2** D2/B3 D3** D3* B4 D4 (also can get flat 7th in lower register at B1)
3RD POSITION, HARMONIC MINOR SCALE: D1 B2 D2** D2/B3 D3** D3* D4* D4 (also can get major 7th in lower register at D1*)
In 3rd position you can only get Harmonic and Natural minor in the lowest register. But in 3rd position you can get DORIAN minor (flat 3rd, MAJOR 6th, flat 7th) in all 3 registers.
Btw, there is also jazz melodic minor which is flat 3rd, major 6th, major 7th.
Last Edited by on Mar 10, 2011 9:55 AM
@Arnoud73: No, you are not "thinking to simple." Personally, i do quite a bit of playing in minor keys and i don't own any minor tuned harps. i don't OB, either. Besides 3rd and 4th positions, i also use 5th position for minor key playing.
The only advantage to playing minor tuned harps is that you have more usable chords.
Yeah, I only play Richter tuned harps, and all my harps are ET.
5th position NATURAL MINOR SCALE (in 2 registers): B2 D2* D2/B3 D3** D3 B4 D4 B5 B5 X B6 D6 D7 B7 D8 B8 (x=major 2d degree of scale not available in middle register)
B9=flat 3rd in high register. D9 and D5 are the flat 2d of the scale which is usually an avoid note
5th position DORIAN MINOR SCALE: B2 D2* D2/B3 D3** D3 D4* D4 B5
5th position BLUES SCALE: B2 D3/B3 D3** D3* D3 D4 B5
Fifth Position MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE (in 2 registers): B2 D2/B3 D3** D3 4D 5B 5B 6B 6D 7D 8D 8B (flat 3rd available in the upper register at B9)
NOTE: The breath pattern for the minor pentatonic scale in 5th position is the same breath pattern used for the major pentatonic scale in 2d position, just starting on a different note for the tonic. So, playing in 5th position "feels" a lot like playing in 2d position. 5th position is great for playing minor key blues as well as other minor material. But if you need the major 2d of the scale in order to play the melody, 4th position may work better because in 5th position you can only get the major 2d of the scale in the lower register.
Last Edited by on Mar 10, 2011 10:57 AM
