This is a nice example of how to play rock & roll harp, something I need work on. Dennis is playing 3rd position, which isn't the obvious way, since that gives you the minor third and r&r uses the major third. But it works great:
Ah! You tricked me! I was thinking it was a rock song, but it is a blues progression and Dennis's fantastic harp playing is blues centered.
Great playing, but had you not said rock n' roll, I would have never thought of it as anything other than a driving blues...something Tab Benoit would play, for example.
Again, killer playing, but I was expecting rock-rock playing from the title. This reminded be of Kim with the Tbirds. ---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Mods Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
It's a rock 'n roll groove. (Of course it's a 12-bar blues progression; most rock and roll is.) It's a Chuck Berry groove, actually. The T-Birds did quite a few rock grooves along with their Texas shuffles and Louisiana swamp grooves.
Here's Chuck Berry doing "Sweet Little Rock and Roller." That's the groove Doug Deming and the band are laying down: the classic rock and roll groove:
BTW, while we're on the subject of blues, R&R, and Chuck Berry, here's Chuck doing a version of Memphis Minnie's "Me and My Chauffeur Blues" aka "Good Morning (Little) Schoolgirl." It's a nine and a half bar blues--or at least that's how I count it. You can also count it as 18 bars. It definitely ain't 8 or 12 bars:
I was hoping for an arrangement less than 50 years old.
If that were a radio single, it would be getting air play on stations like Bluesville. It is much less "rock" than guys like Walter Trout, for example.
I don't dislike this style of music, and I love Dennis's approach, and I understand why you said rock and roll vs just rock, but in my heart I was hoping it was more rock and less r'n'r.
WOW! I was there! That's the Court Street Grill in Pomeroy Ohio. Three friends from the club and I made the trip.
A piano player that I respect and gig with told me, "the old rock n roll players would play a minor scale over the major chord" That may be something for me to explore.
from Joe Filisko's class at Augusta Blues week in Elkins, WV 2012.
3rd position was not recorded until the 1950's. There are earlier recordings of 1st,2nd,4th,5th, and 12th. ---------- theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
what i like about this is how denis's comping takes what would be a formulaic rock and roll song, and by playing syncopated in the open spaces, he adds a unique dimension and really swings the groove.. so he plays it in a very non traditional way... and makes it better
but adam is right, it is rock and roll straight up the way the rest of the band plays it
also, i fooled around with this for a minute... low F harp? song in A? if so this would be 4th position.. anybody else?
Last Edited by on Jul 22, 2012 6:58 PM
I post every two months here because I'm probably too lazy but I 'd like to show you something interesting about the major scale in the 3rd position. If you have some time (and money) you could have a look on Howard Levy's website.(http://www.howardlevyharmonicaschool.com/)
There are some great ideas and I learned this Boogie Woogie song which uses this major scale in 3rd position. Nothing original, I tried to replicate what he did. (Howard told me he had no criticism about my version...Huuh).
---------- Youtube
Last Edited by on Jul 23, 2012 11:16 AM
@Throttleskeezer: great playing and all that but what specifically was it you wanted to show as "interesting"? I don´t mean that great playing isn´t interesting, of course not, but it appears as if you had a more concrete intention.
@ Martin : When I first learned 3rd position 4 years ago, I though this position was used only for minor songs or kind of very sad blues. Then I discovered "Thunky Fing", the funky song from Satan and Adam.
Last year I learned this Boogie song from Howard Levy's website. It was a kind of revelation for me because this song is in the 3rd position and it doesn't sound sad.
This is possible only if you can play the minor and the major third.
In 3rd position, the minor third is: - the second hole draw bend to the whole step - the 5th hole draw, no bend - the 9th hole draw, no bend
The major third is: - the second hole draw bend to the half step - the 5th hole blow (overblow!) - No idea from the 8th hole...
I think this could be useful in Rock'n Roll songs.
