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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Which E?
Which E?
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jim
352 posts
Sep 18, 2010
6:43 AM
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LOW E
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www.truechromatic.com
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hvyj
605 posts
Sep 18, 2010
7:22 AM
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E FLAT--IMHO this is not a close question.
An Eb harp allows you to play in Bb in second position. Playing an E harp in second position puts you in B. Bb is a far more commonly used blues key than B. There's more rock and folk material in B than blues material. So, if you are primarily playing blues, you'll get more mileage from an Eb harp.
An Eb harp is also useful for playing G natural minor in fifth position, F dorian minor in third position and C natural minor in fourth position and i use my Eb in all of these keys.
An E harp puts you in Ab natural minor in fifth position, F# dorian in third and C# natural minor in fourth. I've had to use my E harp to play in Ab minor on "Love and Happiness" with a horn band. But, F# dorian and C# minor are not commonly used keys, even in jazz. So, I've mostly had to use my E harp in second position to play in B--and, like i said before, Bb is a key that gets called much more often than B. And, btw, keyboard players often prefer to play blues in Bb.
So, even if I only consider playing in second position, I find myself using my Eb harp in second position MUCH more often than my E harp. I play out a lot. i carry a full set of 12 harps. If necessary i could function at most gigs without an E. Couldn't get by without an Eb, though. But it's not a bad idea to carry both--especially if you are playing a lot of rock. There's some Stones and Mitch Ryder material in B. And B is certainly a more common key in folk than Bb.
Personally, I don't like low E because I don't get enough "cut" if I'm playing electric. But, YMMV.
Last Edited by on Sep 18, 2010 7:36 AM
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hvyj
606 posts
Sep 18, 2010
8:02 AM
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It's possible to play a harmonica in different keys or "positions." For example, an Eb harp can be played in Eb (first position), Bb (second position), F and F minor (third position), C minor (fourth position), G minor (fifth position), and Ab (twelfth position).
Now, there are different kinds of minor scales--the natural minor scale has a flat 3d, flat 6th and flat 7th in it. A "Dorian" minor scale has a flat 3d and a flat 7th but a MAJOR 6th. So, you use a different "position" to play natural minor than you would to play "Dorian" minor.
I can explain this stuff in more detail, but if you are just starting out, you are probably only playing in first and second positions and that's okay.
But, just to put things in perspective, each of the most common positions corresponds to a different "mode." Modes have Greek names--like "Dorian." The do-re-mi scale (first position) is also known as the Ionian mode. Modes are diatonic scales with different patterns and it is the different patterns that allow you to play a harp in different keys (or "positions") if you know the pattern. The Greek names are shorthand for these patterns.
For example, to play natural minor you need to play the 3d, 6th an 7th degrees of the do-re-mi scale each a half step flat. This "pattern" is called the "Aeolean" mode. Fourth position makes it possible to play "Aeolean" without having to bend (except on the low end of the harp), so fourth position is good for playing in a natural minor key.
Other "positions" correspond to different "modes." Second position puts you in the "Mixolyian" mode which is the do-re-mi scale with a flat 7th, Since the flat 7th is a blue note and in second position you can bend to get the other blue notes (flat 3d and flat 5th) it's easy to play blues in second position, which is probably what you are doing.
I could go on, but i think this gives you the general idea. It makes more sense if you understand how to play scales, which is not a bad thing to learn. if you click on my user name I have tab for certain scales in my user profile if you are interested.
Last Edited by on Sep 18, 2010 8:27 AM
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