harmonicanick
2326 posts
Dec 17, 2015
10:10 AM
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Arrive at a jam and know what key is being played without being told,
I always have to ask, which always give the cheeky guitarist an opportunity to shout F sharp minor!! F off...
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Dr.Hoy
139 posts
Dec 17, 2015
10:21 AM
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F# minor=D harp in 5th position.
And I can always find the pitch on a chromatic in just a few seconds.
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harpwrench
1034 posts
Dec 17, 2015
10:42 AM
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I always like it when they tell you which key harp you need to play in the song key lol.
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www.spiersharmonicas.com
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Leatherlips
352 posts
Dec 17, 2015
1:00 PM
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harpwrench, I get that quite often and they always refer to 2nd position only.
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timeistight
1912 posts
Dec 17, 2015
1:24 PM
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If I can see the guitar or bass player's hands I can usually tell what key they're in.
If that doesn't work, I pick up a C harp and find the key on that.
Of course, you can always just ask the bass player.
Last Edited by timeistight on Dec 17, 2015 1:39 PM
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SuperBee
3090 posts
Dec 17, 2015
1:46 PM
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I like to start first, so I can hear the guitarist ask for the key...
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marine1896
536 posts
Dec 17, 2015
2:16 PM
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http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/5490686.htm
That was posted on the 5th December. ;-)
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"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
Last Edited by marine1896 on Dec 18, 2015 3:06 PM
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barbequebob
3083 posts
Dec 18, 2015
8:32 AM
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I have a distinct advantage in figuring it out because since I also play a bit of guitar, I look where the guitar player's hands and fingers are positioned on the fretboard, which came in handy while I was gigging with Jimmy Rogers, who never called out the key, but he always showed you where his hands and fingers were on the fretboard, and so here's an example of what learning another instrument helps out quite a bit and you can do the same if you learn some keyboard and watch the keyboard player's hands are on the keyboard, along with some theory to learn the chord formations and the inversions of the chords.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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JustFuya
822 posts
Dec 18, 2015
12:54 PM
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I've been practicing with a guitar player who is also theoretically challenged. Up front I thought he'd be a gold mine of information, especially when he talked of E & A minors and showed me how ie 1 string off an E chord makes it an E minor. So I started adding chords to my 3 chord repetoire on the guitar (not on my list of go-to instruments).
Then we banged heads on harp keys. He'd ask what key I had in hand and he would switch to playing in that key. First position for me. I went along with him and learned a lot by exploring that and other positions. I started watching and learning which key he was playing and I went back to hunting for the appropriate cross (or other) harp. In the meantime I learned to play some of my standards in a different position but some, ie Amazing Grace, just feel best in 2nd or other positions.
Finally I showed him how versitile the harp can be by playing Do-Re-Mi in a few other positions. He was surprised. And then it came to pass that I broke out the chart and finally understood the circle of fifths. This after staring at the chart for months, somehow expecting a miraculous breakthrough by imprint or osmosis.
I don't think you have to actually have to play the guitar to recognize chords and keys but it helped me. I used to love it when someone would call out the harp key for me but many times I did my hunt in practice and marked up my copy of the set list.
Now I'm working on the adjustments I have to make when the capo appears.
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harmonicanick
2327 posts
Dec 18, 2015
2:44 PM
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@harpwrench
Yeah I get that, and I find it annoying, especially when I know the guitarist knows I find it annoying, All in good fun though:)
@Bob,
i only play with guitar/vocals so my frame of reference is not the same;
I thought that was a shallow answer, but I guess I will carry on and either name the key myself or ask the guitar/vocal what he/she wants
Last Edited by harmonicanick on Dec 18, 2015 3:01 PM
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Todd Parrott
1358 posts
Dec 18, 2015
8:05 PM
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I know the key without being told, because I have what they call perfect pitch. Some say perfect pitch is a gift, but I'm convinced that it's something that one can learn. For me, I can recognize the sound of the keys, or even individual notes on the piano just as someone would recognize colors, voices, etc. Each key has its own mood, so it's easy for me to distinguish one key from another.
Last Edited by Todd Parrott on Dec 18, 2015 8:05 PM
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Tyler
21 posts
Dec 19, 2015
8:45 PM
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I can usually grab the right harp, or at worst, 5th off. I feel for guitar players - the one in the band I play with used to play with a harp player who was 100% cross harp, and couldn't remember which harp for which key. Led to the band calling out C when the song was in G, etc. That messed me up on a few minor tunes where I often use 3rd position
I'm also now getting much more comfortable getting the "feel". What I mean by that is some songs just sound like certain positions on the harp. I am a big believer in exploring different positions on the harp - not to be able to play all keys on one, but to service the music with best sound. A little OT there I guess...
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Raven
62 posts
Dec 25, 2015
2:53 PM
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@Todd: You're one of the very fortunate ones to be born with perfect pitch. The rest of us have to work hard to try to achieve it. Some claim that it is actually a gene that determines whether or not you have perfect pitch. And some claim that those of us who weren't born with it can only achieve "relative pitch." I believe it can be learned...but I'm still working on it.
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WinslowYerxa
1003 posts
Dec 27, 2015
10:43 AM
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Evidence is that there is a strong genetic component in absolute pitch, according to this study at UCSF.
The violinist I play with, Tuula Tossavainen Cotter, has it, and says that at the age of 5 she could tell what note was what just like she could see that the sky was blue and grass was green.
I have good relative pitch, and in my late teens could also identify within a semitone what key of harp was being played just by tonal color. After singing in choirs for a few years I could pick up a piece of sheet music and accurately sing the first phrase at pitch without a reference. But for me absolute pitch identification comes and goes.
Walking into a session, I'll discreetly pick up a harp, sound one note, and know from its relationship with the music being played what key it's in (there's the relative pitch at work). A landline dial tone is very close to an F, so that also works as a pitch reference.
===========
Winslow
Check out my blog and other goodies at winslowyerxa.com
Harmonica For Dummies, Second Edition with tons of new stuff
Join us in 2016 for SPAH on the San Antonio River Walk!
Last Edited by WinslowYerxa on Dec 27, 2015 10:47 AM
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The Iceman
2789 posts
Dec 27, 2015
11:34 AM
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Perfect pitch can be learned.
David L. Burge has a wonderful CD tutorial. Takes a long time to complete, but the results are worth it.
I developed perfect pitch using this method.
Don't let the "must be born with it" idea stop anyone from trying.
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The Iceman
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hvyj
2908 posts
Dec 27, 2015
12:15 PM
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@harpwrench: My personal favorite is the know it all bass player who tells me to grab an A harp for LITTLE WING presumably because it's in E minor. That tune lays out perfectly on a C harp in fifth position, but would sound pretty bad if attempted in second position. But that bass player had never heard of fifth position.
@Tyler: Yep. Some tunes just sound better in certain positions. Sometimes if you get it exactly right the tune almost seems to play itself. This seems to be especially true for minor tunes.
I dunno if he has perfect pitch, but I know a keyboard player who can call out every chord being played on a recording as we listen to it. I've also been at different venues with him when someone would accidentally drop a dish or glass on the floor breaking it. And he would hit a note on the keyboard that was the exact pitch of the breaking glass or dish always getting it exactly right.
Last Edited by hvyj on Dec 27, 2015 1:04 PM
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1847
3070 posts
Jan 01, 2016
7:39 AM
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if someone has perfect pitch, does that mean they can also sing?
would you be able to tune a harmonica without using a tuner?
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if i type in the correct captcha why is my post lost in cyber-space
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Greg Heumann
3151 posts
Jan 01, 2016
1:27 PM
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You don't need perfect pitch. All you need to be able to do is identify the root note of the song. It might help you to HUM it. Then find it within the 1st four holes of your C harp.
David Barrett taught me this. Its called "using your C harp as a pitch pipe". All you have to do is memorize the note names on the 1st four holes. The blow notes are CEGC. The draw notes (unbent) are DGBD. Almost all the other notes are there with bending; if not you can learn to tell when you're a half step away.
Find the root note, hum it, match it on the harp. That's your key. It takes some practice but you get better and better at it. I can now identify the key of any song that way in just a few seconds.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
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Last Edited by Greg Heumann on Jan 01, 2016 1:28 PM
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harmonicanick
2333 posts
Jan 01, 2016
2:56 PM
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Thanks Greg,
Happy New year
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barbequebob
3101 posts
Jan 02, 2016
8:33 AM
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Greg's absolutely correct that perfect pitch is unnecessary and the vast majority of musicians in the world, regardless if they're amateur or pro have relative pitch and less than 1-2% of ALL musicians in the world, regardless if they're pro or amateur have the luxury of having perfect pitch. It comes down to paying attention to the smallest of details, basically training yourself to do those things and then everything becomes easier to identify.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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