tookatooka
3483 posts
Sep 10, 2013
1:23 PM
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Anyone have any ideas or suggestions regarding playing the high end of the harp using the blues scale if you can't get the 7od or rely 100% on the 6ob. I like making my way up the harp but can only keep repeating the same old licks with very little variation.
I've seen Adams video on the subject but need more weapons in my armoury.
Thanks.
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mr_so&so
729 posts
Sep 10, 2013
1:59 PM
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Skip the 7od and work on your 6ob. I.e. practice the minor pentatonic scale up there. Lots of blues to be had with 5 notes.
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tookatooka
3484 posts
Sep 10, 2013
2:06 PM
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Good idea mr_so&so. I'm onto it. Thanks.
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Michael Rubin
791 posts
Sep 10, 2013
2:56 PM
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Combine the blues scale with the major pentatonic.
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harpdude61
1813 posts
Sep 10, 2013
2:58 PM
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I love the 7 od. It is really cool when you can bend it up. Gives you the same wail as 4 draw.
That said, if you really want to play all of the blues scale on the high end there is nothing easier than 4th position . No overblow and overdraws and only one blow bend.
Whatever harp you are using for cross, just come down one more step. If the harp is "D" for 2nd position, the harp will be "C" for 4th. Here is the blues scale.
6 draw
7 blow
8 draw
8 blow bend
8 blow
9 blow
10 draw
Also 6 blow is same as 9 blow (Flat 7th) and 10 draw is same as 6 draw (root)..5 blow is same as 8 blow (5th)
You can really do a lot with this scale from hole 5 up, even if you can't blow bend the 8 hole.
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Baker
323 posts
Sep 11, 2013
5:00 AM
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You could consider tuning the 7draw down a 1/2 step. This is what I do so it gives you the minor 3rd in second position. Also you don't lose the original note as you can now bend the 7blow down to it.
I got this idea from Todd Parrott:
Last Edited by Baker on Sep 11, 2013 5:17 AM
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tookatooka
3487 posts
Sep 11, 2013
10:35 AM
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Thanks guys, I'm currently playing around with working out how to use the major and minor pentatonics up at the high end now. Your suggestion @Baker about taking the 7 draw down a half step, I'll keep in reserve. I've never done any re-tuning and the prospect of me screwing up scares the hell out of me. If all else fails, I'll give it a go.
Thanks a lot guys.
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isaacullah
2496 posts
Sep 11, 2013
1:26 PM
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I concur with Baker. I've done this to all my harps, and I don't regret it for a second. IMO, Richter harps should come tuned that way in the first place.
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tookatooka
3488 posts
Sep 11, 2013
1:36 PM
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Yeah! Just thought maybe I could try the bluetac approach on the 7 draw. Wow! thanks.
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isaacullah
2497 posts
Sep 11, 2013
6:06 PM
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Nice! I should have mentioned that I too use blutak to do this. It's super easy and makes a world of difference. Congrats and welcome to a whole new world of low to high riffs! :)
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Baker
324 posts
Sep 12, 2013
5:04 AM
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Hi tooka. I was going to suggest the blu-tack thing too. That's how I do it and never had any problems. It a bit fiddly but can be easily reversed if it's not working out for you.
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HarpNinja
3452 posts
Sep 12, 2013
12:19 PM
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You have the whole mixolydian mode up there to work with and the minor pentatonic (spread out through two octaves).
You don't need a minor third nor the flat 5 to play blues from a technical standpoint. I wouldn't sweat the 7OD so much. The 6OB is absolutely crucial to contemporary playing, but you can easily hit that same pitch on the 10 blow.
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harpdude61
1815 posts
Sep 12, 2013
3:08 PM
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The OP asked about playing the blues scale in the upper octave. If you don't overdraw you can get it in 1st position and 4th position. You will need one blow bend for for 4th and 3 blow bends for 1st.
You can get a bluesy sound outside the blues scale, but many great blues songs ARE based on it.
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harpdude61
1816 posts
Sep 12, 2013
3:11 PM
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I'll be honest guys. If you add a powerful 7 overdraw that you can hit solid and bend easy it becomes a huge part of upper octave playing in 2nd position.
Same as I can't imagine anyone not wanting the 4 draw bend 1/2 step in the first octave.
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Baker
326 posts
Sep 13, 2013
5:02 AM
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Hi HarpNinja. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the 6OB the minor 3rd? – For me this is a crucial note when playing blues.
I don't overblow which is why I tune the 7draw down.
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tookatooka
3492 posts
Sep 13, 2013
5:12 AM
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Thanks guys. The 7od is the note I just haven't been able to get yet. Maybe it's the way my harp is set up. I've tried various gapping combinations but it still eludes me. I've tried flatting the 7 draw with bluetack but haven't had time to give it a good workout yet. Being a 2nd position player from the start is making it difficult for me to adjust to a different note layout but we'll see how it goes.
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walterharp
1164 posts
Sep 13, 2013
6:03 AM
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yeah, work on your blow bends and make a quick swap to 1st position harp.. works better in keys like g and a where the top of the 1st position harp is not so high pitched
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undertheradar
47 posts
Sep 13, 2013
6:32 AM
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what is blutack?
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Baker
327 posts
Sep 13, 2013
8:33 AM
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Blutack is a UK thing. I think it the US it's called Poster Putty.
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Chamsya
24 posts
Sep 13, 2013
11:27 PM
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This question has been occupying me at recently, and I've done a sweep of all my tracks to look for good examples of 2nd position, high octave playing. As you say, there is a lot of repetition.
I asked AG about this, and this didn't uncover anything new. Although IMO AG is responsible for some of the most musically satisfying high-note playing that I've heard. Witness his snippet of 'Next time you see me' in a recent thread.
My conclusion is that in order to have a proper dark, bluesy sound at the top in crossharp you have to use the OB or retune, permanently or with bluetack, as other say here. For myself, I've decided instead to consciously use the pentatonic, mixolydian or bebop scales to use the lighter feel as a contrast with the low end. I've cast my net wider and am listening to licks from guitar players who often use the mixolydian. Unfortunately it's often in thrash metal so not very appropriate. But BB King famously uses it, so there are possibilities.
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Jehosaphat
542 posts
Sep 14, 2013
5:25 AM
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the idea of flattening the 7 draw has neve occured to me for some reason..sounds like a brilliant idea for second position playing.
But do you flatten it to a 'blue' third for the 1 chord or to a full half step for flat 7th for the 1V?
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harp-er
455 posts
Sep 14, 2013
4:41 PM
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Would someone be good enough to detail an explanation of how to use the blutack stuff on a harp? I'd like to try it. Thanks.
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kudzurunner
4252 posts
Sep 14, 2013
5:21 PM
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This one had people crying--literally--at Hill Country Harmonica 2012. Powerful high-end playing--and low-end playing! Make sure you get to the 3:00 point.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Sep 14, 2013 5:22 PM
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Oisin
1036 posts
Sep 14, 2013
5:48 PM
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can someone explain the blu tack method of tuning...is it just placing a small piece on the reed?
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Oisin
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Jehosaphat
543 posts
Sep 14, 2013
6:02 PM
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Use it to lower the pitch of a reed,so you take a tiny piece of blue tak and place it on the tip end of the reed.
Tiny piece is the secret.Think say of the sharp end of a toothpick and just enough Tak to cover it is a good place to start.Then it is just the matter of either adding a bit more to the reed or removing some to get to your desired tuning.
Yes it is a bit of a fiddley job but the results are worth it as you can experiment a lot with different tunings without doing any irreversible changes to the reeds.And the Tak, once in place, stays there as long as you want.
I have Blu Tak still on reeds i did a couple of years ago
I'm now about to try the 7 draw semitone drop with some Tak as talked about above.
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Oisin
1037 posts
Sep 14, 2013
6:18 PM
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Thanks Jehosephat. I will try this out.
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Oisin
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harp-er
456 posts
Sep 14, 2013
6:37 PM
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+1 on the thank you.
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walterharp
1166 posts
Sep 14, 2013
7:18 PM
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wow, todd is one of the top harmonica players based on that video!
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Brendan Power
381 posts
Sep 15, 2013
3:11 AM
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Try the PowerDraw. Same as Richter holes 1-6, same as PowerBender holes 7-10. EASY top end draw-bend wailing combined with your familiar stuff down the bottom 2/3 of the harp:
Last Edited by Brendan Power on Sep 15, 2013 3:18 AM
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