I frequently say that my B harp is the one I use the least, but I carry one anyway. Tonight, I was sure glad I did. I stopped by an open stage and got up to play with the house band drummer, and a black guitar player and a black bass player who can play their asses off. I've played with them before and they are both very interactive players and great guys to hang with.
Anyway, we funked out for about 8 or 9 minutes on the Funkadelic tune "Cosmic Slop" and tore it up. We had a blast, and the audience loved it. A wonderful musical experience.
"Cosmic Slop" happens to be in F#. Guess what harp I used?
Cool tune, but I wouldn't have been able to handle it without my trusty (and rarely used) B harp. Moral of the story: If you carry a full set of 12 standard keys you're always prepared.
Last Edited by on Sep 16, 2010 10:09 PM
I have a case of 14 harps with the 12 keys plus a low F and a high G-I only use about half of them but you never know when the key might be F# or Dflat stranger things do happen
In my band we do Get Out of My Life Woman and I use B in third. It is bad @$$. I use it for 11th and 12th typically, and it is always in my small case (holds 7 harps).
I bought a B because DeFord Bailey preferred it to a C. He never accompanied anyone, probably, so the key didn't matter to him. Also he probably never knew any theory, so I guess he thought that, after G and A, B is the natural harp to buy! But maybe I'm being naive and he had a full set. He played the guitar and the banjo, so maybe he knew more than he let on, maybe not.
For me C is a high harp and Bb is low and B is pleasantly in between and has the qualities of both. But I don't play it much. I don't know why. Partly because I haven't gapped and embossed it much.
You'll need it for Area Code 615's Stone Fox Chase. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYph_LGY6YE It's a bit boring - it's just the same riff on an A then a Bb, then a B, then a C. ---------- Andrew, gentleman of leisure, noodler extraordinaire.
Last Edited by on Sep 17, 2010 8:53 AM
I've kept one handy because some singers actually do sing in that key and I had to back up a very gospel tinged blues/soul singer and he sang in F# quite a lot and so thang god I was prepared. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I use a B when I jam with a local band that has a guitar player that tunes down to Eb. So any tunes he plays in G are really F#. It's annoying, but it's kinda fun to use my harps that get neglected.
i never owned a B until recently, when one of the originals in my new band turns out to be in F#. in the previous 6 years, only once that that key come up, at a jam. sat that one out.
I use a B out in the woodshed frequently--I just like the way it wails. I also like a D-flat a lot for the same reason. Sometimes, when a song I'm working on starts to sound a little stale, it helps to just change the key to make things sound new and exciting again. . . ----------
Jam along with some of the SRV vids on youtube. He tuned a 1/2 step down so you'll get much use out of a B,E, F#, Db, and Ab....these are also my "pocket harps" when i get a few minutes to play at work or waiting at the drive-thhru.
A few years back I got to sit in for a whole set with Bryan Lee. He tuned 1/2 step down so I used my B harp on about 3 songs and also my Db, Ab, and Eb. Before then I had only used a B harp about 3 times in over 30 years of playing, but I was sure glad I aways carry all 12 keys with me.
