hvyj
669 posts
Oct 03, 2010
7:30 AM
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Anyone play this Otis Redding tune, and, if so, in what position?
I've never played it, but i was on stage when it got called as a request. It's in G major. Pulled out a G harp but that didn't sound right, so i pulled out a D harp and played in 12th position and that sounded better. I was given an extended solo (not by choice) and I managed to get through it without hitting any bad notes. I'm passable, but by no means proficient, in 12th position. So i played mostly by ear. I don't OB.
Anyway, has anyone else played this tune? if so, what position do you use?
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Greyowlphotoart
109 posts
Oct 03, 2010
7:52 AM
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Haven't played it before but I'd probably play it on a C harp starting with 2 draw. Don't think OB's required.
"Inside every old person there is a young person wondering....What the fu*k happened"
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HarveyHarp
139 posts
Oct 03, 2010
8:02 AM
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Actually, I played it last night in a Video Shoot in New Orleans, to submit to the site Manager of the TV Series "House". It was a total impromptu, last minute song that I have never played. I played it in 1st positon, and I thought it turned out pretty well, especially the whistling part, which I played in both second and third register. starting on 7 blow and 10 blow respectively.
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Jim Rumbaugh
314 posts
Oct 03, 2010
9:29 AM
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I've played it recently.. couldn't remember, so I just went to youtube and did a quicky.
C harp when in the key of G, Major pentatonic scale, (not the blues scale). I did not play the melody in this position.
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intermediate level (+) player per the Adam Gussow Scale, Started playing 2001
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upstate
22 posts
Oct 03, 2010
10:46 AM
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i go to an open mic every week or so the singer guitarist always has me up to play it with him so i cant sound too bad. i play it in second position
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barbequebob
1275 posts
Oct 03, 2010
11:35 AM
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I've played this tune in 2nd position and the biggest thing, especially for playing the vocal melody is to make sure those bends on DEAD ON accurate or it sounds like total crap.
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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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hvyj
670 posts
Oct 03, 2010
3:23 PM
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@barbequebob: What scale did you work off of playing this tune in second position? When the tune got called, the bass player/lead singer made it a point to let me know that the tune has a MAJOR seventh since he knows that's something which would affect my choice of harp. I didn't seriously consider playing major pentatonic in second position, but maybe I should have.
Anyway, what scale did you use to play it in second position or how did you approach it?
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Jim Rumbaugh
315 posts
Oct 03, 2010
5:13 PM
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I know you asked BBQ Bob what he plays, but....
I play major chords or dominant7 chords. I've never done it with a Major7. (maybe when they said Major7 they meant Dominant7) I also checked about 5 on line tabs. None of them say Maj7. Unless they are doing a special arangment.
By the way. You should be able to do a Major pentatonic over a Major7 chord. There is no 7 note in a Major pentatonic.
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intermediate level (+) player per the Adam Gussow Scale, Started playing 2001
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hvyj
671 posts
Oct 03, 2010
5:38 PM
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@Jim Rumbaugh: I don't know. The guitar player who was standing next to me gave me the changes and did say that all the chords were "major." He didn't say "major 7th." The bass player certainly knows the difference between dom. 7th and maj. 7th and I thought that was what he was alerting me to, but he may have been wrong, or may have misunderstood what he was trying to tell me. These conversations took place very quickly over just a few seconds.
I know that the major pentatonic scale has no 7th, and I know how to play that scale. But at the time, I didn't think playing major pentatonic would sound right. You do it, though, and I was wondering if BBQ Bob was also playing this tune that way.
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barbequebob
1278 posts
Oct 04, 2010
9:02 AM
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Unless someone tells me that there's a Major 7th in there, I would assume major scale and to me, the guitar player is assuming you would be largely be playing totally pentatonic using flat 3rds a lot because just doing the vocal melody alone falls in perfectly in 2nd as long as your bends are smack on the money. On the other hand, using a country tuned harp in 2nd position works if there's an actual major 7th being called for (when I started out, CT wasn't available back then and you retuned 5 draw 1/2 step sharp yourself and they were always called Major 7th tunings).
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Last Edited by on Oct 04, 2010 12:27 PM
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Jim Rumbaugh
316 posts
Oct 04, 2010
10:25 AM
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I played the tune (solo) while sittin' here. The only 7th I hit was a doninant 7th on the last chord of the bridge (F) when he sings,"every thing remanis the same". But like BBQBob said, if you're trying to do melody, it's tough because there are a lot of 3 hole bends ,unless you start on 6 blow and go up and that's upthere.
hmmm ..... you could wail on the the bottom half and play the melody up high..... that might work.
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intermediate level (+) player per the Adam Gussow Scale, Started playing 2001
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Shredder
191 posts
Oct 04, 2010
1:54 PM
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When I was playing with "MileStone" I played 2nd pos. on a C harp. Used the melody line I guess starting at 4 hole. I mimiced the whistle at the end with I think an 8,9,10 hole jingle working back down to 5 0r 6 to end the song. I never tabbed it out I just played it.
Mike
Last Edited by on Oct 04, 2010 1:55 PM
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scojo
124 posts
Oct 04, 2010
2:49 PM
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I mix 1st and 2nd positions on this. Usually start the whistling at the end in 1st, then groove it over to 2nd.
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scojo
125 posts
Oct 04, 2010
2:52 PM
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I should add that 12th works well too, but if you want to play the melody accurately, either a 6 OB or a pretty serious 3 draw bend is needed ("sittin' when the eve-", "watch it roll a-").
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hvyj
676 posts
Oct 04, 2010
3:22 PM
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@sojo: I don't OB, but hitting the various 2 hole and 3 hole bends on pitch is not a problem. But why the 6 OB? What note do you get on the 6 OB that you can't get w/o an OB?
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scojo
127 posts
Oct 05, 2010
5:28 AM
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It's true that, in 12th position, you can get the 4th degree of the scale in the lower octave with an accurate 3 draw bend. You can't get it in the middle octave without a 6OB. When I play 12th, the real beauty of it (to me -- YMMV) is in the middle octave.
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hvyj
678 posts
Oct 05, 2010
5:37 AM
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@scojo: Thanks. Now I understand.
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scojo
129 posts
Oct 05, 2010
3:20 PM
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my pleasure, and there's obviously nothing wrong with playing it lower. I'd love to hear your version of it.
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hvyj
681 posts
Oct 05, 2010
5:09 PM
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@scojo: Well, I don't really have a version. I just played it for the first time the other night and I was delighted to have made it through by ear without hitting any obvious clams. I was uncomfortable about having to play an extended solo, and I wound up playing through all 3 registers during my solo. I do recall playing the 3 draw half step bend, though, and I think I also played the 3 draw whole step bend at some point, too.
I was just curious about how other harp players have approached this tune, and I appreciate all of the informative responses.
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