I rarely am challenged by the tonic note. On this tune, sometimes E sounds like the tonic. Now that you mention it, sometimes G sounds like the tonic as well.
What's throwing me off here? - the chord progression?
Last Edited by on Nov 02, 2012 9:45 PM
Timeistight -- Thanks for the explanation. I can see it more clearly now. ----
There have been threads recently on the value of learning and studying tunes. As an "ear" player with the most basic music theory background, this tune was a bit confusing. I couldn't just pick up what I heard as "the right harp" and go with it. So, for me, this is a great tune to study. I can learn new things here.
12th shouldn't be beyond an intermediate harp player--it's just like 3rd! I want to use a C harmonica for my example--Dm is 3rd, and it's minor, right? F is the relative major, so it has all the same notes--it's just that the tonal center is F. Try playing from C to F on holes 4 and 5. Now play draw 5, blow 6, draw 6 and blow 7. That's your scale in the key of F! 12th position with no bends. Granted the F root note is a double draw bend on hole 2, and you need the overblow Bb on hole 6 to play the right note for F--12th is relatively easy if you have mastered 3rd position.
Last Edited by on Nov 04, 2012 10:18 AM
I always thought of this song as switching between G and the relative minor, Em, a key that some of the chords above would support and that share the same scale.
I usually have used a G chromatic to play this. If Madcat is using a D diatonic harp, then my take on it is that he is using 12th and 3rd positions to cover this song. He is really effectively working the low end bends.
Edit: I would expect the key signature on sheet music to be "G". ----------
Strange that nobody recommends 1 pos. It´s obvious that even Madcat, en extremely advanced player, has some intonation issues in 12th, and Noodles is, judging from his question, a bit lower on the skills rung. (Normally I find 12 pos very useful s nothing against that per se.) Harmonica players are much more forgiving when it comes to sour notes than other instrumentalists, that´s a good thing to keep in your memory; it depends a bit on what kind of an impression you want to make, and it can be worthwhile to make a tradeoff between some drawnotes (and bending opportunities) for clean blow notes. Also, the phrase that starts "Took all my friends out ..." gets a bit more interesting if you play it C-F#7-G etc. Cheers, Martin
Thanks for the 12th position tips, guys. Right now I'm working my self into a frenzy of possibilities with 3rd, but as soon as I get tired of that I'm gonna try your 12th guidelines. Sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to get a feel for. I've even copied your tips and have them saved in a folder on my desktop for future reference. I won't be violating any copyright laws will I!?
