harmonicanick
2546 posts
Jan 25, 2017
2:41 PM
|
I have been playing harmonica for many years but increasingly have become bored by blues progressions and bands
Does anyone agree?
|
The Iceman
3036 posts
Jan 25, 2017
4:09 PM
|
yes, I agree that you have become bored...
(happened to me in the 90's until I discovered Paul deLay. Then I got interested again)
----------
The Iceman
|
Bass410man
119 posts
Jan 25, 2017
7:08 PM
|
Do something different for a while, or add other things in, to make it more interesting. No one said you had to play blues, but I think it has to be something you love doing, in order for other people to feel it, no matter the genre.
|
Goldbrick
1751 posts
Jan 26, 2017
7:12 AM
|
I know what you mean
I am having one of those periods now and am working on playing first position type melodies that I passed by going directly to blues
Play blues on a bus bench no matter how well-people pass by.
Play Oh susana u are my sunshine , dixie or yankee doodle and you get a smiling crowd of old folks and dancing kids
Last Edited by Goldbrick on Jan 26, 2017 7:13 AM
|
hvyj
3199 posts
Jan 26, 2017
8:21 AM
|
Howard Levy said that in second position blues almost plays itself on a harmonica. So, it's relatively easy to learn to be passable in the blues idiom on harp. I got to a point where I was playing the SOS all the time.
What I enjoy doing is figuring out the characteristics of other idioms and what to play on harp that's characteristic of those other styles. For example I don't particularly like country, but if I want to play it I use major pentatonic and/or major blues scale and utilize the full step bend on draw 3 to "chug" between the major third and the major second to get that characteristic country sound.
Having learned to do that, you can move to R&B and soul music where the chord changes are more complex. But you can use major pentatonic pretty effectively much of the time, although you really have to be careful not to blow a major third over a minor passing chord. Spirituals are sort of in between country and soul stylistically and you can often lean on the sixth. Funk is different and often stays on the one chord--it's a rhythmic thing.
Most harp on reggae recordings I've heard trys to force fit blues licks over reggae changes. A lot of reggae is two chords in a minor key with the distinctive reggae rhythm. Using 5th position blues scale or natural minor scale and playing chord tones in the right cracks with keyboardish phrasing is a better way to do it IMHO, and sounds pretty good if you can cop the stretched out groove and phrasing (skank and bubble) and remember to leave space since that is an important characteristic of the reggae idiom.
These and other styles/idioms don't play themselves on harp the way blues does (playing blues in second position it's almost difficult to hit a really bad note, and you can get away with all sorts of draw bends). You must learn different scales and be disciplined about what notes you bend and be more careful about bending to pitch.
SO...playing in different styles/idioms requires that you identify (or have someone knowledgeable explain to you) the distinctive musical characteristics of the idiom(s) that interest you and then you figure out how to play those on harp. A lot of it is being able to play the right scale and your rythym and phrasing have to be adjusted to what is appropriate to fit stylistically and, of course, you need to have decent time in order to be able to make the appropriate rhythmic adjustments. Some idioms are more easily played in positions above third, so there can be a learning curve.
Anyway, FWIW, this is the sort of thing I enjoy doing and then when I get back around to playing blues it's not as boring.
Last Edited by hvyj on Jan 26, 2017 8:41 AM
|
Minor Blues
61 posts
Jan 26, 2017
9:56 AM
|
@hvyj
"I use major pentatonic and/or major blues scale and utilize the full step bend on draw 3 to "chug" between the major third and the major second to get that characteristic country sound."
Chugging between major third and major second gives a characteristic country sound? I did not know this....
|
Diggsblues
2086 posts
Jan 26, 2017
10:12 AM
|
I played on a lot of Reggae tunes in one band that I played in. You have your major and minor tunes. What I found was that on the major tunes Cross Harp pentatonic major scales work very well. On a tune like "Woman No Cry" I used my Chromatic.
----------
|
6SN7
686 posts
Jan 26, 2017
10:15 AM
|
Yes, I agree, and better, have solutions. Been there....Here's a start
I am making the assumption you are tired of playing "I IV V" in a variety of tempos (shuffle, slow, rhumba, swing, etc) at local blues jams
1. Learn to sing if you don't already.
2. Learn to play in first and third position if you only play in second
3. Learn to play chromatic harmonica
4. Mix up the standard I IV V progression
5. Explore other types of music.
6. Learn to play tunes by your self. Like Christmas music, folk melodies. Learn tunes from Harp Tabs. Learn a ballad like "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" or "Misty."
7. Practice smartly and /or take a lesson. Just gussing up a storm is noise
good luck
If your issue is you go to blues jams and it is the same old same old tunes, then bring something to the table, learn a new tune and teach others.
Last Edited by 6SN7 on Jan 26, 2017 10:16 AM
|
nacoran
9359 posts
Jan 26, 2017
1:53 PM
|
Look up the circle of fifths and how it relates to chord progressions. You can use it to come up with all sorts of different progressions that sound good. (Circle of Fifths- It's not just for finding what key harmonica to grab!)
I V vi IV will let you play with most of what's on the radio these days, but you can use the circle to make all sorts of other progressions.
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
First Post- May 8, 2009
|
slaphappy
249 posts
Jan 26, 2017
2:35 PM
|
disagree.
there is enough classic blues study to last a lifetime. if you truly love this stuff you can't get bored of it although the obsession can certainly ebb and flow and I think this is natural. It never dies though, at least not for me.
Progressions and bands are just vehicles for the genre, a way to communicate the art. It's the expression underneath that counts. If that's missing from your musical life then ask yourself why and what you can do to stoke the fires. I always find something comes along and validates my love for blues and the harp.
my 2 cents.
----------
4' 4+ 3' 2~~~
-Mike Ziemba
Harmonica is Life!
Last Edited by slaphappy on Jan 26, 2017 2:38 PM
|
jbone
2232 posts
Jan 27, 2017
4:05 AM
|
6SN7 hit it on the head. I have done most of these things for some years now. Result is I am definitely not bored. Jolene and I are writing more in the roots vein, different chords and progressions, getting set to do the next cd. 1st and 3rd positions are imperative to me. I was stuck in 2nd for about 20 years, with the last 25 more an exploration of 1st and 3rd. It has expanded my playing by untold amounts.
Over the last King Biscuit I got to jam twice, once at GZ with about 6 other harp guys running across the stage. I was stuck with a guitarist who insisted on doing some offbeat stuff which is very hard to pull off in 2nd. I was on the spot and kicked butt in 3rd. Again on Cherry Street in Helena, a band on the street was calling for all harp players in earshot to step up and do a turnaround. About 10 guys took a shot and I was the only one who did something in 3rd.
Over the years I have of course worked on Jimmy Reed harp stuff in 1st but also have expanded. Dylan, Floyd, and lately a couple of originals with 1st position harp parts. Sometimes I grab a 1st position harp on a song I've done in 2nd or 3rd just to see where it goes.
So to me swapping positions is how to get outside the box, at least partly.
----------
Reverbnation
Facebook
Youtube
|
Spderyak
116 posts
Jan 27, 2017
4:38 AM
|
I would venture that if you become bored with they way things are...then write some new stuff.
|
GamblersHand
627 posts
Jan 27, 2017
4:50 AM
|
A couple of years ago I joined an Americana / bluegrass /gospel / blues / 20s jazz group
Still lots of familiar patterns, I VI II V etc but not one 12-bar! A nice change
|
hot4blues
21 posts
Jan 28, 2017
7:48 AM
|
I myself like blues, polka, even some Christmas songs on my diatonics. However, I like my chromatic for some jazz, even some classical pieces.
|
dougharps
1344 posts
Jan 28, 2017
8:13 AM
|
6SN7's list covers it really well!
If blues music feels stale to you at this time, use his list to stretch yourself.
Blues will still be there waiting, and when you come back to it you may see/hear it with new eyes/ears.
|
