Diggsblues
808 posts
Jun 16, 2011
2:42 PM
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Ok some of you guys wanted an insight to chromatic and the blues. Since your in front of me I'll may say stuff some of you catch and don't write me offlist and I'll see if I can help you.
The first most common thing is third position.
This is usually dorian based as I said before.
The dminor pentatonic can done without the slide
giving you the b3 and b7. In traditionl blue
the b5 seems to be left out you get it easily and there
are cool things you with it to add nice flash to your
playing. Using the button playing the g#/ab to g you get
a nice blues ornament. Depending on your technique you can get nice with A to Ab to G as a repeated speed lick.
We don't get too many LOL don't over use it.
To recap the scale D F G Ab A C.
Some times third position may be minor tune
using D E F G A Bb C. The blues scale also works
well in minor tunes.
Playing in A minor.
This can work well and also the
minor pentatonic has no button
Min pent A C D E G A add the Eb and you have
the b5 to give the blues scale.
The A natural minor is A B C D E F G A.
A good example is Ain't No Sunshine.
Ok I mentioned before the position system
breakdowns a bit so I show you all the scales
I use in my improve.
Normally 4th position on a C chromatic.
A minor pentatonic
A minor blues
A dorian Here I'm thinking Aminor chord as a Temporary II chord of G
A harmonica minor
F# Locrian
There may be other scale fragments in there.
These are Jazz concepts that I brought in
to add a little something new to a blues concept.
The final chord A minor with a major 7th and the 9th
Sometimes called minor chord with a large 7 or L7
A C E G# B
ok enough for now.
Even my head hurts now LOL
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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Diggsblues
815 posts
Jun 18, 2011
8:39 AM
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Hey show me some love.
You guys asked and I promised
so hear is more chromatic stuff.
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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teebo
1 post
Jun 18, 2011
9:10 AM
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Hi Emile, Thanks for explaining how to use a chromatic for blues. I am working with chromatic and diatonic harps and this is very helpful. Just received my Powerbender from Brendan Powers. Lots to do!
This is a great forum for those aspiring to learn the instrument and my thanks goes to you all. - Tee
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barbequebob
1667 posts
Jun 18, 2011
12:50 PM
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I also play blues in 1st position, which is also ut of the George Smith school and you rarely see blues players play chromatic in that position.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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dougharps
82 posts
Jun 18, 2011
7:37 PM
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I sometimes play chromatic blues in 1st, as well as the usual 3rd, and sometimes minor blues in 4th.
I played 1st position blues a few times at SPAH 2010 in the evening blues jams, and Joe Filisko said he liked it, which was apparently unusual for Joe. I do use the button quite a bit, especially on 20's & 30's style blues songs with those jazzy changes. I switch between single notes and then playing octaves to make a big sound.
I very much enjoy the music I have heard from both of you.
I like that both of you are sharing your knowledge.
This is a great forum, though sometimes intense.
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Doug S.
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Diggsblues
821 posts
Jun 18, 2011
7:55 PM
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Yeah first is little tougher since the b3 b5 and b7
are button notes. A lot of guys get Bb chromatics to
play C blues. Yeah 4th I think lays more natural for me any on the chromatic. It is the realtive minor of C major.
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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joeleebush
244 posts
Jun 18, 2011
8:32 PM
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to BarbequeBob.
Do you know of any of George's stuff or your own that is on youtube or another music site that has him or you doing blues in first position on a chro.?
I'd like to try and learn some of that. All I know is 3rd.
Thanks.
Joe Lee
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"The degree of someone's "open mindedness" will be in direct proportion to how much they agree or disagree with the issue being discussed"...William F. Buckley
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Joe_L
1304 posts
Jun 18, 2011
10:54 PM
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Joe Lee - Check out George Smith's Boogie'n with George or Mark Hummel's Hummel Bug. They are two good examples of first position chromatic.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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Diggsblues
822 posts
Jun 19, 2011
5:09 AM
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First position Chromatic IMHO is a conceptual change
from third position. That dmin6 or bmin7b5 chord
isn't there now.
If you can learn the blues scale for C your on your
way to using it for improve.
C Eb F Gb G Bb C This can played any time
in the tune.
You can take a modal approach on the changes to.
I'll post that up later pressed for time now.
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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barbequebob
1668 posts
Jun 19, 2011
10:56 AM
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@Joeleebush --- For 1st position stuff, on the CD Now You Can Talk About Me, there are two tunes using 1st position chromatic and these were originally issued on an old Murray Bros. LP (Rod Piazza was part owner of that label at the time) entitled "Boogie 'N' With George" and "Chicago City," which is actually Jimmy Rushing's "Going To Chicago." On his old Arkansas Trap LP, th eone tune I remember off the bat with 1st position chromatic is "Monkey On A Limb."
With the Boogie 'N' With George LP came out in the early 80's, I had never noticed him ever doing that and I played that sucker to death until I learned it. Diggs is basically telling you exactly what you gotta do with it and it's essentially turning 1st position into 3rd and you HAVE to use the slide a lot more and for a lot of harp players, they can't just fake their way around a chromatic and have to start learning the scales and know where you are 24/7 on it.
Both of those George Smith albums are on CD now so there not too difficult to get.
BTW, in another blues forum, I just found out that they just recently released a new CD of George live backed by the Buddy Reed band recorded a few months before he passed away.
One 1st position chromatic thing I do is a version of the Roy Brown jump blues classic Good Rocking Tonight and throw in some of the horn lines that are played on some of his other tunes and when other harp players see me do it, I see them wondering WTF is he doing and how is he doing it and I tell them. The only other player I know of now in the New England area attempting to do this is my buddy Ryan Hartt.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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joeleebush
247 posts
Jun 19, 2011
11:18 AM
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To: JoeL.,Diggs, and Barbeque Bob
THANK UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU for steering me into those tunes. Also the scale work.
I can take it from there. I use that button a lot in conventional 3rd anyway so I will be somewhat at home.
This will be fun learning this new material and then running people crazy with it at the appropriate times and places.
I owe you one.
Regards,
JoeLee
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"The degree of someone's "open mindedness" will be in direct proportion to how much they agree or disagree with the issue being discussed"...William F. Buckley
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barbequebob
1670 posts
Jun 19, 2011
11:37 AM
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One more tune to add from the Arkansas Trap LP is Roaming. On there he overdubs himself on a diatonic harp as well, but he also is playing chromatic in 1st position and the diatonic sounds more like a Low F backing up his own chromatic solo.
Have fun!!
BTW, I just recently reread the LW bio and you are prominently mentioned in it for those who don't know.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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groyster1
1135 posts
Jun 19, 2011
11:41 AM
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I also have tony glovers book about LW it must be quite an honor to be acknowledged in that book
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hvyj
1442 posts
Jun 19, 2011
2:50 PM
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The problem I have trying to play chromatic is keeping track of where i am on the instrument. The double C's drive me crazy. I can learn the scales and modes for different keys without much problem, but I lose track of where i am when i am playing and then hit the button at the wrong times. I also have problems keeping a tight cup with an instrument that large.
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Joe_L
1305 posts
Jun 19, 2011
3:07 PM
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Try a twelve hole model. They are obviously smaller. I've seen some pretty interesting and creative solutions to that problem.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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Diggsblues
825 posts
Jun 19, 2011
4:19 PM
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@hvyi that's why scale practice is so important.
Jamie Aebersol exercises help build those skills
The three C's and two F's all have their uses.
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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barbequebob
1672 posts
Jun 20, 2011
7:39 AM
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Hyvyj, the main thing to remember is that every octave on a chromatic, the basic note layout pattern is the same as holes 4-7 on a diatonic. The button takes some time to get used to and chromatics that are cross tuned I don't care for because it tends to have a longer, slower slide throw and for that reason, I'll take a chromatic that's straight tuned any day.
Those double C's and F's you do a lot of cheating with once you understand it and how to use it.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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