Mensh
61 posts
Jan 31, 2017
3:24 AM
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Morning Gentleman!
The upper register of my Special 20 has historically been a kind of DMZ/No Man's Land where I dare not tread. Since I finally (finally!!) have a dedicated rig that I am content with, it's time to head uptown.
Any tips for learning a few quick Hammond-like licks? I know he has a harmonica lesson book, but I am a harp player - which means that I am cheap (until I justify dropping $300 on a mythical pedal that may or may not have too much gain for harp).
Thank you in advance for your time and snark-free advice.
Heath
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www.thebluesprofessors.com
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hvyj
3209 posts
Jan 31, 2017
7:14 AM
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Can you blow bend?
Whether or not you can blow bend, in second position you've got a complete major pentatonic scale., a complete mixolydian mode/scale and a complete dominant 7th arpeggio in the upper register. If you can blow bend, you've also got useful segments of a blues scale/minor pentatonic scale.
I'm not familiar with Hammond's material, but if you learn these scales it will equip you to play all sorts of things in the upper register. If this interests you, I can tab them out for you.
Last Edited by hvyj on Jan 31, 2017 7:16 AM
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Mensh
62 posts
Jan 31, 2017
8:21 AM
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Oooo, hell-yeah, please tab them out!
(and check out John Hammond - it can get annoying after awhile, but he his outstanding on the rack)
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www.thebluesprofessors.com
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timeistight
2078 posts
Jan 31, 2017
9:29 AM
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"please tab them out!"
You'll learn a lot more tabbing them out yourself.
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hvyj
3210 posts
Jan 31, 2017
9:51 AM
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@timeistight: not all of us have the knowledge of what those scales consist of and where those notes are located on the harmonica. It took me a long time to figure that stuff out on my own but I don't mind giving someone else a jump start. If someone is told what can be played then they can start to spending time working on actually learning to play it without floundering around. No need to make someone reinvent the wheel in order to learn how to drive.
I'm sorta busy right now, but I'll tab this stuff out later on today/tonight.
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Mensh
63 posts
Jan 31, 2017
10:15 AM
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No rush - I appreciate the offer.
Heath
**timeistight - you'll learn a lot more by reading the post you are replying to. The offer to tab them out was made.
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www.thebluesprofessors.com
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Jim Rumbaugh
1235 posts
Jan 31, 2017
10:17 AM
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Here's a link to something I snagged from HARP-L and modified to my liking. It's a list of scales via tab. I use the major pentatonic A LOT.( in the high end)
Tabs for scales
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theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
Last Edited by Jim Rumbaugh on Jan 31, 2017 10:36 AM
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snowman
240 posts
Jan 31, 2017
5:06 PM
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I saw him on the blues cruise--- he does a lot in first position--He didn't really do very melodic lines-- he mostly just went to the high end and hit a few bends-- I've worked very hard at tieing the high end of the harp in with the low end -with no break --
The only way to get better at the high is to do scales up n down --find runs u like that ascend and descend and basically
-FORCE YRSLF TO PLAY UNFAMILIAR NOTES-UNTIL IT BECOMES FAMILIAR--
The earlier in yr playing u start attacking the hi end the better
A lot of famous blues harp players rarely play the hi end --they occasionally go up and hit a few notes with a bend or 2--but rarely do a run up to the high end and continue down again---
Guitar players play the entire neck--not just frets 1-6
In hole 7, the notes flip [the higher notes are on the top--few people take the time to play the high end long enough for muscle memory to kick in-
Just a side note--The harmonica is a 10 whole instrument --not a 6 whole instrument-
IT IS AN INSTRUMENT
Practice creates muscle memory Good Luck
Last Edited by snowman on Jan 31, 2017 5:08 PM
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Komuso
681 posts
Jan 31, 2017
7:12 PM
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See this tip of the day series on the high end, it's an excellent series of exercises to work on.
Playing above Hole 6 - Transition
and breath pressure...less is way more, especially for the bends & tone.
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
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Mensh
64 posts
Feb 01, 2017
4:27 AM
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EXCELLENT advice, guys. Thank you all.
Heath
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www.thebluesprofessors.com
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DevonTom
278 posts
Feb 01, 2017
5:56 PM
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John's first position style is based on Jimmy Reed's style in the upper register and Sonny Boy 2's in the lower octave. Two great influences
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mlefree
808 posts
Feb 01, 2017
9:41 PM
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My first harmonica teacher told me to come back wen I'd learned to play every song on Chess' "The Best Of Jimmy Reed" album.
I was the first person to ever come back after he laid down that gauntlet.
Michelle
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SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
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kudzurunner
6170 posts
Feb 02, 2017
5:09 AM
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I haven't sat down and made a close study of Hammond's upper-register playing. But what I hear is an original and distinctive approach. It's indebted to Jimmy Reed, but it goes beyond him.
The key, as I hear it, is the way JH transitions from single bent notes to octaves and double stops. He's constantly expanding and contracting his sound in this way. Then he puts heavy vibrato on it. He repeats licks to give them urgency. (His urgency is one thing that distinguishes him from Jimmy Reed, who is much, much more laid back.)
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hvyj
3220 posts
Feb 02, 2017
10:02 AM
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Ok, major pentatonic (1st 2d 3d 5th &6th degrees of the major scale)= B6 D6 D7 D8 B8 B9
Mixolydian (major scale with a flat 7th) B6 D6 D7 B7 D8 B8 D9 B9
Dominant 7th arpeggio: B6 D7 D8 D9 you can add the 9th (which is an extension tone) by playing D10 or you can play an inversion by using B9 instead of B6 (same note an octave apart).
D10 is a useful ornament. It is the 9th which is the second an octave higher. If you want to descend in major pentatonic, you can start on D10 for variety. Or if you are not playing major pentatonic, going from D10 to D9 (9th to b7th) can sound cool. Or simply playing a D9 D10 double stop sounds pretty bluesy and musical as it is an extension chord fragment.
Moving from the middle register to the upper register avoid D5. Instead play B5 and move to D6 or B6. It's smoother.
The above will allow you to move around musically on the high end and learn your way around without having to blow bend.
CAUTION: if you are playing blues or other music with a dominant 7th IV chord, since D7 is the major third of the key it is also the major 7th of the IV chord and won't work well on a dominant IV chord. So, you've got to be careful with that. Btw, 3b is B10 full step bend. The moral of this story is that you have to think differently playing the high end in second position. Get used to expressing yourself with NOTE MOVEMENT rather than wailing on bends. You can get pretty melodic on the high end which can provide a nice contrast to the usual stuff that gets played in the lower registers.
Last Edited by hvyj on Feb 02, 2017 1:28 PM
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