tookatooka
2781 posts
Mar 04, 2012
10:33 AM
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I'm hoping to go to some open mic evenings and have A C D and G harps. In terms of what popular blues tunes may be played, what would be the next best key harp to get to try and cover most eventualities please? I have a Low F but doubt whether I would use that on an open mic night.
Many thanks.
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Joe_L
1768 posts
Mar 04, 2012
10:38 AM
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When carrying 3 or 4 harps, I stopped carrying a G harp a long time ago. The most common keys I use are: C, D, A and F. I use E or Eb more than a G harp.
It really depends on the singers.
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Last Edited by on Mar 04, 2012 10:39 AM
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harpdude61
1265 posts
Mar 04, 2012
10:42 AM
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Those probably cover most tunes you would play in 2nd position. Sometimes people like to jam in C and F so I take a high F and a Bb. I'm just not a fan of low harps at open jams and such. Seems harder to hear yourself.
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Pistolcat
171 posts
Mar 04, 2012
10:50 AM
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Yeah Bb is a really nice harp to have. There's a lot of second position to play in F and third Cm... It has a really nice sound on it's own to noodle around with at home, too.
My Bb MBD is a joy. (for me more than the wife). How is Summertime coming along for you Tooka?
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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Leatherlips
43 posts
Mar 04, 2012
12:01 PM
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Second that, on the Bb.
If you play other than 2nd position, say 1st, 3rd and 5th, then you can pretty much fit into anything that's thrown at you with the harps you have.
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hvyj
2231 posts
Mar 04, 2012
12:13 PM
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Harps in the keys of G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb and F will pretty much cover you for just about any blues jam. Those are the keys you need.
But if you are going to an "open mic" that's not a blues jam, you may also need an E.
Last Edited by on Mar 04, 2012 12:29 PM
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Greg Heumann
1517 posts
Mar 04, 2012
1:04 PM
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I used to carry less than a full set. But sooner or later you're going to get ann SRV/Albert King devotee who wants to play in Eb or Ab - and singers, myself included, sometimes have to choose a key pretty carefully so that the entire melody fits their range. I'm not crazy about driving, schlepping, waiting, investing all that time and energy to get to a jam - and then not being able to play on one or more tunes in my 3-tune set because I don't have the right harp. So I carry a full set. Of all those the one that gets used the least is the F# (thankfully) - but I've had to use every single one of them at one time or another.
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/Greg
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tookatooka
2782 posts
Mar 04, 2012
1:12 PM
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Thanks Guys. It's gonna be a toss up between High F and Bb but I'm drawn more towards the Bb I think.
@Pistolcat. Yeah it's going great thanks.
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billy_shines
141 posts
Mar 04, 2012
2:07 PM
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i sing in every key but A my D harp is busted i havent replaced it. i have a prewar Bb im saving it. i show up with 3 harps (A-G-C) i write billy shines sing-harp (can only play in E G and D)- bass (if needed) and i wait it out if a million harp players show up at least i get to sing or play simple bass if no bass player is there at the momment. i refuse to do dueling harps thats the stupidest thing ever, i will just go home. low harps like 365 or 364 no problem stick wads of toilet paper in your ears or play with one hand and put your finger over your ear. built in monitor i could care less if i can hear myself on stage i tell the soundman this. as long as the audience can hear i dont care. im not in it for an onstage volume war. i also stand back off the mic 9-12 inches and use hand effects i can drop the mic all the way down the stand sing downward and still get picked up. bands really hate mic eaters and guys who cant lay back.
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harmonicanick
1487 posts
Mar 04, 2012
2:49 PM
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High F is a waste of money
Low F is very useable for rythym chugging and then change to normal C major for the solo
G harp can be VERY useful because some blues singers/guitar use an open D tuning, so for 2nd position you need G
Most open jams have minor key songs, Dm for example so C in 3rd you are covered.
if Am is called then you have your G
So, in summary stick to your original list and see how you go, if in doubt, sit the number out.
When you play Took look up and above the audience and play confidently. Look like you know what you are doing!! Sounds stupid but it goes a long way..
Most people in the audience just want to hear a bit of 'soulful' wailing in the right key, good luck mate
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billy_shines
142 posts
Mar 04, 2012
3:06 PM
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yeah sonny boy had a low F 365 before they stopped making them. they still made them in england until the 60s. yeah they do play minors at open jams strictly to keep 2nd position harp players out. so yeah a G in 3rd is A minor. theres always at least one lapsteel or dobro guy thats always in G. some young bloods play in only dropped D so again G harp 2nd. if a piano guy comes up i usually sit out i hate keys. if its a violin,sax or accordion i will also sit out it clashes.
sometimes i bring a koch in C gives me C/Db 1st G/Ab/G# second and D minor Eb minor in 3rd. yeah low F sounds good the key of C grates on my nerves. i like playing harps that no one else will show up with.
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nacoran
5339 posts
Mar 04, 2012
3:13 PM
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I am usually playing songs that we wrote, so my key choice may not match what you would need to play the standards, but I tend to rely a lot on Bb. I think the three harps carry when I'm just going to be playing solo would be Bb, C and Fm, but that's partially because I happy to have really good harps in Bb, C and Fm!
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harpdude61
1271 posts
Mar 04, 2012
4:27 PM
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"High F is a waste of money"
I totally disagree. Since most players do not tune down 1/2 step like SRV, they play his version of Sky is Crying in C. Love jamming with a high F to this song.
Most jammers play a song like Mustang Sally in C as well and the high harp is much closer to imitating the horn parts.
Learning to control the short, tight reeds of the higher harps will make you a better all around player and help develop the chops.
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hvyj
2232 posts
Mar 04, 2012
6:46 PM
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"High F is a waste of money"
You've got to be kidding. I wouldn't spend money on a low F but i couldn't function in a performance situation without a standard F. Low F has no cut. If you play electric it's very hard to be heard playing a Low F. Standard F is easier to play anyway.
I also use my F harp quite a bit to play Am in 5th position. But for Gm I will usually use Eb in 5th rather than F in 3rd.
Last Edited by on Mar 04, 2012 6:54 PM
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billy_shines
147 posts
Mar 04, 2012
8:29 PM
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i gotta get me a low F im looking for an old 364 marine band or a standby. if its this hated its gotta be good.
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harmonicanick
1488 posts
Mar 05, 2012
12:59 AM
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@hvyj
I misunderstood, I did not mean a standard F, which is necessary of course, but an even higher F if it exists.
I think Tookatooka refers to a standard F harp as a high F
I have a high G tuned harp which can be good for contrast
Last Edited by on Mar 05, 2012 1:04 AM
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GamblersHand
339 posts
Mar 05, 2012
2:40 AM
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@Billy
I recommend the Thunderbird for low pitch harps, they're based on the Crossover but specially set up to ensure responsiveness and stopping those reeds hitting the cover plates. Expensive but totally worth it - similar harps from many other brands are near unplayable out of the box.
Even so, I agree in part with hvyj, unless you've put in the time in with lower pitch harps it's difficult in a band situation to get cut or hitting the right attack to get those big reeds to sound quickly enough. I'm not that talented (and lazy as well) so I tend to use them just to play basic roots sevenths and octaves under the tune, and only if I'm not playing with a keyboardist
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GamblersHand
340 posts
Mar 05, 2012
2:43 AM
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@tookatooka
You were at Adam's session so I'm guessing you're a Londoner? If so which jam are you planning to play?
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hvyj
2233 posts
Mar 05, 2012
3:45 AM
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@harmonicanick: I don't think they make a "high F" which would be in dog whistle territory if they did,
I used to carry a high G which certainly can be useful.
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tookatooka
2785 posts
Mar 05, 2012
3:51 AM
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@GamblersHand. Hi, I know it may sound ridiculous but after endless searches on the net at a venue which is not too far away, I've found there is a lively Blues Club (St Harmonicas Blues Club) which is in Southgate only a mile or two from where I live in Edmonton. I've heard they do open-mic nights on some fridays so I'll be going down there soon to just sit in the audience and find out more about it. It may come to nothing yet, but I just wanted to be prepared with the best harps in case the opportunity presents itself in the near future. There are some videos on YouTube from (search, St Harmonicas) but I need to get down there and see it for myself.
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hvyj
2234 posts
Mar 05, 2012
4:50 AM
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@tookatooka: Just do it. You'll learn more in 20 minutes playing live on stage with other musicians than from 2 months of practice and sitting around playing to prerecorded back up tracks.
So what if you screw up? You learn from your mistakes and you go back the next week and try not to repeat the same mistake. If you make other mistakes, you go back the next week and try not to repeat those. Then sooner or later you start doing more things right than wrong and it's exhilarating. What you get from the interaction with other musicians in a live performance setting is unique and simply cannot be recreated in any form of practice by yourself. You already know HOW to play--jamming will teach you WHAT to play that works. And when you start doing that, it's a magical experience--nothing else quite like it.
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GamblersHand
342 posts
Mar 05, 2012
4:58 AM
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@tookatooka
I haven't heard of the St Harmonicas Blues Club - will check it out.
When you want to step out a bit further afield then this website is good
http://bluesinlondon.co.uk/jams.html
There's also a yahoo group "blues jams in London" or something like that once you've really caught the bug.
For jams nearby I'd recommend the Coach & Horses in Leytonstone. I've only been there once but it was very welcoming and they'll even record your performance and put it up on their website.
I like also the Round Midnight jam on a Tuesday in Angel. It's a good size and acoustics, and doesn't seem to have the slightly oppressive competitive vibe I sometimes feel at Aint Nothing But
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billy_shines
149 posts
Mar 05, 2012
5:20 AM
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i grew up in florida. florida blues is very slow. which made harp players like sonny boy II, and guitarist like lightnin hopkins very appealing to me. some examples of florida blues would be tampa red and ray charles, who played blues so slow it annoyed his drummers. its very slow with tasty riffs rooted in ragtime. you can hear it in florida musicians such as skynyrd, and even kc and the sunshine band. i never had a problem hitting reedplates with a big C marine band. in band they were mainly doing british blues. one time i used a 364 G instead of a regular one and the drummer was like what is that wheres the other one. sounded ok to me i thought the big G sounded higher than the little G. i only used the big C on wooly booly because it sounded more like a sax. after stevie ray died a funny thing happened everyone started dressing and playing exactly like him and the florida style died. you can still hear a ghost of it on the west coast in blue grass players mainly dobro. it will like hit you wait that sounded a bit like ragtime. the big C was always more like a slow trombone to me rather than a horn section or a trumpet. i dunno its hard to find laid back players anymore. but im really thinking this low F is the way to go. alot of women sing mainly in c and this may get me to play more instead of being told to sit out like all the other harp players. i basically lay back play country style with the mic in a stand until my ride comes then i go crazy for 30 seconds thats it. oh yeah thats another thing when blues traveler came out everyone started tootling and never shutting up. id really like to see the florida style come back.
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tookatooka
2787 posts
Mar 05, 2012
5:45 AM
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@GamblersHand. Thanks for the heads-up. I'll try out in the paddling pool and get some confidence before I jump into the deep water I think. The links look good, I'll have a browse. Thanks.
@billy_shines. Was that Woolly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharoes? One of my all time favourites.
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harmonicanick
1489 posts
Mar 05, 2012
5:57 AM
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'I like also the Round Midnight jam on a Tuesday in Angel'
Took, that jam in Liverpool Rd Islington is marvellous, very friendly, and the standard of playing is very high, strongly reccomended, and its almost opposite the Angel tube station
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billy_shines
150 posts
Mar 05, 2012
6:18 AM
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wtf is this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c37r0UNVils
nice tone no shrill pencil in the ear.
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