I have been woodshedding for about 3 hours and right now I'm toast! But a good hour or so has been trying to play along with this backing track for Help Me in the key of "G" (C harp). I feel I improvised kinda/sorta ok (a beginners ok) doing my own thing with a little flavor of the original song. But feel I could have done better with a few more notes. Notes I didn't have but that I normally "would have" playing a C harp to a song in G. For some reason those notes sounded bad. For example I couldn't use 3 draw, not even bent. A couple of other notes up higher (between 4 and 6) were off also at times.
I played along and recorded myself anyway, but I had to work around some mistakes from notes that normally would fit. Is this song in Minor maybe? Or is it just me. I couldn't solo to it...well not how I would have liked or what I was trying to do. I'll spare you the video of me. But here is the track.
The original verson of help me is in f minor, if you stick to the blues scale you should be ok, I think you need to stay away from notes like 2 blow or 3 draw unbent.
Last Edited by on Jul 03, 2011 1:35 PM
If you are going to use the C harp (which many guys would do) You need to be able to bend the 2draw down a full step, and the 3 draw a half step, otherwise, "it won't sound right"
---------- The WV State Harmonica Championship at The Diamond Teeth Mary Blues Festival Aug 27th & 28th 2011, Huntington,WV
As John and Belfast said above, the original key was F.
Don't worry, that IS NOT your problem. Your backing track is in G. Using a C harp is correct for that backing track. I played the track and tried it, and a C harp works fine,
The question was asked, "is it minor", the answer is yes. The standard blues scale will sound wrong unless you bend the 3 draw down half a step.(more bens than is recomended for the blues scale) The rest of the blue scale will work OK.1 ---------- The WV State Harmonica Championship at The Diamond Teeth Mary Blues Festival Aug 27th & 28th 2011, Huntington,WV
Thanks...I am aware of the song being in F and needing a Bb harp. My point was I don't have a Bb so I found a track in "G."
Jim, I was using the bent 2 draw and that note sounded fine. It was the 3 draw that wouldn't fit. I will try it bent a 1/2 step as you say. I thought that the blues scale "is" 3 draw bent 1/2 a step? 3 blow/3 draw bent 1/2 step/4 blow/ 4 draw bent/4 draw/5 draw/6 blow. ----------
@Tommy The Blues scale 'blue note' is not a full semitone bend,it is 3 draw just bent to somewhere between unbent and the semitone. For the minor scale it is 3 draw bent a full semitone. Help me is one of those blues that wander in and out of a 'perfect' minor scale.
Thanks guys. I went back and looked for this thread. In this excellent rendition by our own Toxic Tone he gets all the notes. If you scroll down a couple of posts he mentions that he used backing track from Youtube that is in G, using a C harp. I'm guessing it's the same track I used.
So it was me, lol. Back to the wood shed with ye Tommy boy!!!
I'll take all the notes with me concerning the 3 hole bend and the scale etc.
Tommy, where'd you get that jam track from? And are you from the Bronx -- saw your tagline. Let me know. I live in the Kingsbridge Heights section. Thanks. -Jordan
That track is from Youtube. "Sonny Boy Williamson Help me backing track in G" Yes, I'm from the Bronx...or was. I still have all of my family there and am there often but I moved out awhile back. My family is all in Throgs Neck and I lived there too before moving away. I grew up closer to Soundview/Parkchester and spent most of my early years in the streets around Castle Hill .
