I appreciate Michael's way of helping to make sense of a complex topic. Of course, no topic like this really makes sense until you put in the hours working with it, and no one can do that for you! I am just getting started on my way to a working understanding of this, with a goal of being able to sight read sheet music on the harp.
I have attached a screen shot of a spreadsheet tool I made to find the notes on any harp. The link to the .xlsx file is below. There are pull down menus for harp key and mode. When you select a mode (Major, minor, blues, etc) the Tonic ( home note) will be underlined and all of the notes not in that mode will be grayed out.
I added a couple of other graphic aids, the circle of fifths and the keyboard as I find myself referring to them frequently when trying to figure out notes on the harp.
I still am not 100% clear on positions. I labeled the E minor scale on a C harp as "Second Position Minor" as it is the relative minor of G, which is second position. I have since been informed that this is actually termed 4th position.
This spreadsheet can be downloaded at;
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/52636345/Richter%20Harmonic%20LayoutAuto.xlsx
Last Edited by STME58 on Apr 19, 2013 9:53 PM
STME: E is 5th position. Look at the circle of fifths. Put your finger on C. Count one. Put your finger on G, count two. Continue counting clockwise. E is 5, therefore 5th position. The major or minor element of a key has nothing to do with its position number. Position numbers are only based on the circle of fifths.
Your charts look great, although I am not clear how you use them. Charts are wonderful, as long as you can quickly do it in your head without charts. No charts on stage.
Thanks for the clarification on modes and position. So, if I understand correctly, if the tonic is E, I am in 5th position on a C harp. This is true whether I am struggling with over-blows to get 4 sharps on the C harp for E major, substituting over-blows for draws on 5 and 9 and half-step draw on 2 for E minor, or using straight draw and blow notes for E phrygian. (The chart helped me figure that out easily, the more I work with the chart the less I will need it.)
I view this chart as akin to the fingering chart you would see in the back of any method book for any instrument. They are a great way for a beginner to find the fingering for that unfamiliar note on the page. After a while, you find you just don't use the chart any more. For some people, this chart could help reinforce what was presented in the video.
With a diatonic instrument you need 12 charts. This spread sheet contains the info for all 12 harps from the pull down menu. Once you click the menu the chart changes in a manner similar to what you described in your video. I included some modal scale info in these charts because I find that interesting. The picture shown shows a C harp with the relative minor of C highlighted to help a novice, like me, know which notes are in the minor scale on the C harp and where the Tonic is (A). Which I now understand to be 4th position.
Last Edited by STME58 on Apr 19, 2013 9:55 PM
