Tom Lauten
5 posts
Sep 21, 2014
5:54 AM
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As a self taught and "by ear" player I am totally lost on the upper egister of the harp....I mean TOTALLY wrong footed and lost EVERY time.
I was looking at the Seydel harps available (I must say I love the Session Steel) and saw the Power tunings.
Now once you stop laughing maybe one of you kind people can teach this Thicko a thing or two.
Does the Power Draw repeat the same blow and draw pattern in the upper register as in the lower or is it only (like it's no big deal) that the notes are 'easily' bendable in the upper register? I have read and re read it, listened to the videos and as I am so musically ignorant I am still non-the-wiser.
Please help.
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Tom "Bad Paw" Lauten
Loch Ness, Scotland
www.buyandapply.com
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The Iceman
2095 posts
Sep 21, 2014
6:24 AM
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Sounds like you are a breath sequence player.
Better to slow down and take the time to learn where all the notes live and remove yourself from that "inhale, exhale, next hole inhale, exhale" pattern.
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The Iceman
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Frank
5344 posts
Sep 21, 2014
6:36 AM
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Here is a way to consider your training...
Is there anything that you have become pretty darn good at that has required you to study, etc... and took quality time to learn?
Can you transfer the discipline you used from learning and becoming good at that activity to this current activity? :)):
Last Edited by Frank on Sep 21, 2014 6:40 AM
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Ted Burke
213 posts
Sep 21, 2014
6:56 AM
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Hi Tom
Not a stupid question at all. I have playing harp for quite a while and play by ear as well. I am more or less completely self taught. For hitting the high notes accurately, the best advice I can give is to find where the effective blow bends are, 7 blow up to 10 blow, and practice each note, one at a time, until you produce the type of bend you want . Patience is the key, practice, patience, and sticking to it. It's the same focus and concentration as in learning how to make the lower part of the harp do your bidding. As for the Power Bender, I bought one and I am enjoying playing it and yes, the high notes are very easy to play, as easy as the low and middle notes of the harmonica, but the tuning is quite a bit different than that of a standard diatonic tuning. It makes unique and off center notes available to blues harmonica players and it is quite nice thing to have available , but I think it is a specialty instrument, not an answer to one's problems with playing the upper register. I would continue to practice getting the high notes on the standard diatonic brand of your choice . If you opt for the Power Tuning, I suggest having reasonable expectations. Again, I am having fun with the one I bought, but I don't think it's quite the altnerative you may be looking for.
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ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.com
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sonny3
213 posts
Sep 21, 2014
8:16 AM
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Learn all your lower end riffs up high.Run all scales from bottom to top of the harp.Major pentatonic starting On 2 draw and end on 9 blow and back down.Lear
Learn some melodys like John Henry by Deford Bailey.
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Kingley
3700 posts
Sep 21, 2014
8:24 AM
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I agree with Larry. It's important to learn where the notes are on a standard Richter tuned diatonic. I'd suggest giving special tunings a miss until you have a good solid handle on a standard tuned harmonica. I'd also suggest you buy a copy of Steve Bakers Harp Handbook. That will give you all the notes on every key harmonica, so you can study them at leisure. It will also give you exercises to learn across the full range of the harmonica and a wealth of other useful information. Every diatonic harmonica player should own a copy of that book. It's without a doubt one of the best resource books ever written for harmonica.
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Komuso
418 posts
Sep 21, 2014
8:34 AM
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David Barrett has a whole series of short quick tips specifically for this.
First one:
Playing above Hole 6 - Transition
Once you're finished with that check the others out (sequentially around the same posting date, look for the title)
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
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nacoran
8017 posts
Sep 21, 2014
11:02 AM
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Here is Brendan's video on the PowerDraw tuning. He's got several tunings he's designed (plus some more radical harp overhauls). It's not quite what it sounds like you are looking for, but I'm going to agree with the other guys on the thread and encourage you to just practice up on the upper end until you can get it by ear too. Seydel actually lets you configure your harps virtually any way you want, but there are always tradeoffs. You could, in theory, make a harp that worked the same way all the way up the harp but you'd lose some versatility.
The tuning for a PowerDraw in C would be-
CEGCEGACEA
DGBDFABDGC
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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A440
209 posts
Sep 21, 2014
12:14 PM
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Tom, Not at all a stupid question. I think The Iceman makes a good point: its too easy to fall into the trap of playing the bottom six holes with draw-blow - next hole - draw-blow pattern. Then you trip up on the top 4 holes, where the game is changed with Richter tuning.
Brendan's tunings look interesting, especially for the upper draw bending capabilities, but I would recommend mastering a standard tuned harp first.
Two suggestions:
1. Write down and practice some scales that use the upper reeds. This will build familiarity with where the notes are on the top end, and get used to the sequencing.
2. Find some songs that use upper reeds, tab them out and learn them. Ideally songs with a few blow bends in them. Jimmy Reed played the upper registers a lot, theres also probably some Sonny Boy II songs that use a lot of higher reeds. Forum: any specific songs to recommend with action in the top end?
Last Edited by A440 on Sep 21, 2014 12:18 PM
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Pistolcat
698 posts
Sep 21, 2014
12:56 PM
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Second position is a bit choppy on the top end. Go with a440:a advice and try some first position à Jimmy Reed: try 'honest I do' on a A harp. Or maybe 'quit humbugging me' by the fabulous thunderbirds on a A harp.
But, besides first, you should really try third position on the top end. Try soloing over Bb kings 'thrill is gone' on a A harp. You got the key note on draw 1,4 and 8 and if you avoid draw seven then most notes will sound good (yes, that is somewhat of a simplification, I know)
When you got those two positions down then you can go back to second and I bet you will be more at home in the top end.
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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2chops
286 posts
Sep 21, 2014
4:13 PM
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I agree with Pistolcat about working on 3rd position stuff beyond hole 6. Something else I did to help me get used to the change at hole 7 is to learn The Work Song in 2nd position. I like it on the Bb harp in the key of F. Do the first two runs on the lower end. Then learn it on the upper end in the next octave up for one run. Then finish on the lower end. Being able to do it on the top end adds variety and will help you feel your way around up there. Besides, it's a fun song to play and have in your bag of tricks.
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
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Gnarly
1114 posts
Sep 23, 2014
12:25 AM
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I use altered tunings, and some of them have the breath shift like the standard tuned harp.
Every octave is different on the standard tuned harp!
One of Brendan's tunings that I really like is Power Chromatic--every octave is the same tuning--that's really a plus--and every note of the chromatic scale can be played with either "given" notes or draw bends--except for one, the b6 of the major key. There are two great chords, the IV and the V, voiced as major 6th chords--so really, the two chords are ii7 and iii7.
Here it is on Tinus's site: Power Chromatic
Notice that the patent is held by Magic Dick--Brendan claims he created the tuning first, and I have no reason to doubt him.
Last Edited by Gnarly on Sep 23, 2014 12:36 AM
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Steamrollin Stan
800 posts
Sep 23, 2014
4:15 AM
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Listen to Walter Torres or Jimmy Reed, high end stuff to work with.
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mlefree
184 posts
Sep 23, 2014
9:24 AM
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+1 on Jimmy Reed.
You will learn upper register skills that will serve you well from here on in.
Michelle
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SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com
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dougharps
736 posts
Sep 23, 2014
9:26 AM
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Playing in 3rd up there improved my upper register 2nd playing.
EDIT to add to post:
If you play in G (2nd position on a C harp) the chords to major blues in G are 145=GCD.
When you play in 1st you are in C on a C harp, 3rd is D, and of course 2nd is G. Those 3 positions, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, are related to the chords in a G blues. Any licks you play in those positions may prove useful in a 2nd position song, even if only as passing tones.
Playing in different positions improves your knowledge of the harp when you go back to 2nd.
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Sep 23, 2014 9:32 AM
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Bryan A
2 posts
Sep 24, 2014
9:50 AM
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I learned boogie on reggae woman, ever since I've been more comfortable on the upper register. Although, it's tough, I've broken a lot reeds experimenting so watch your air pressure when bending 8,9,10 and dido to every comment above!
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