As some of you may have been aware of from my previous posts, I play guitar in a funk / soul band.
We've recently lost a keys player who stuck around for nearly a year after tendering his resignation as we couldn't find a replacement keys player.
I've managed to convince the band that the way to go is for us to find another guitarist and let me cover the keys parts that are necessary, play second guitar and harp. I'm nearly there and we've found a guitar player who's heavily into The Meters and can do what we want. It's Christmas for me.
We sat down with this guy and he suggested we do Seven Nation Army. There's a funk version by a lady called Alice Russell. Please see here:
The one thing that struck me with this vid is the violinist. Seems he's on a similar road of innovation as some harp players. He's certainly using effects, definitely a harmoniser of some kind and he's thinking out of the box like harp players do. That, in itself makes the vid worth a watch from an innovative perspective.
My question: How would you approach this song? I'm thinking either 2nd position with bends or 3rd position. I tried a LO natural minor, but I found myself fighting against my Richter 'brain'.
I'm not at all versed in 4th or 5th position as some are here, so I'm asking if this may be an avenue to explore.
Assuming you would do the song in Bm as in the video, you could use an A diatonic in 3rd to good effect on solos.
You could also do well playing in 2nd on an E diatonic. You would have to nail the bends to play the flatted notes for the minor key, and avoid major scale notes. The higher pitches of the E may or may not suit the song to your satisfaction.
I might choose to play octaves in 4th on a D chromatic for a jazzier take, or play fat 3rd position octaves and chords on an A chromatic.
I would probably try all of the above positions and harps, try using different harps to comp and to solo, and then make up my mind after talking to other band members about their thoughts.
I believe it never hurts to switch off to other positions/harps, or to use both chromatic and diatonic harps in the same song to achieve different effects.
hvyj would probably suggest trying 5th. Since I have only dabbled with 5th on a limited number of songs, I can't positively endorse that approach for this song, but you could try it.
I'd do a quick learn on 5th position. Perfect for this number, in my opinion. 'G' diatonic, nice low blow hole 2 and plenty of room to use the upper register.
Step 1: What are you trying to achieve musically? Step 2: Which position best facilitates tonics, octaves and glissandos, etc., in (Step 1) Step 3: Figure out the chops (Comps, sounds, notes, etc) Step 4: Low harp or standard tuned?
Both 3rd and 5th work well in minor keys. But for myself and the way I would play this particular tune in the video, I like 3rd... for several reasons. I'd be shooting for some horn sounds.
If I played in 2nd, I'd use a Low F#
EDIT: dougharps caught my slip in the posting (below). Should be E harp in 2nd, not F#
Last Edited by on Aug 04, 2012 9:51 PM
@Noodles Isn't the song in Bm? I thought it is, because I played along with it earlier on an A diatonic in 3rd. I can't recheck that now... too late to play harp with people sleeping. If I was correct about the song being in Bm, wouldn't F# be 12th position?
@Leatherlips I will have to give it a try on a G in 5th tomorrow. I am less fluent in 5th than in other positions, and should probably work on that... I tend to go to 3rd on diatonic or 3rd or 4th on chromatic for minor songs.
@Stevelegh I would try all of the above possible positions/harps that you are able to play, listen to how it works (maybe even record the different approaches?), and choose what you like.
I learn by doing, through informed experimentation. You can think about the song and what you want to play, but then you just have to play the music and see what works. I would suggest that you sit down for an hour and try all the possible approaches you are able to play, then evaluate what worked and what didn't, and refine what worked through practice.
Noodles' logical approach can work, too, if you are able to think it through that way, and know that you can deliver musically on what you conceived abstractly. Ultimately you have to satisfy yourself and the band, and it is unlikely that the forum will propose any answers you don't already know. ----------
You've put me on a right track here. I think 2nd position minor is the way for me to go. I tried 3rd, but there's not enough bends there for me.
The thing I found interesting about the vid is how the violinist is generating horn lines, soloing and being the lead accompanist. I think I can hear some keys in there too, but there's no keys player on the vid.
This is what I aspire to with harp. There's no reason why a harp player with good control over bends and a few gadgets could cover this role. I'm hoping anyway.
