Nonetheless, back a couple of weeks or so, during some thread or another, a couple of people remarked that their own harp journey emphasis was that they wished to be able to pull out a harp and deliver at parties or to their friends when asked.
Last night I got to thinking that, over the years I have collected a repertoire of tunes that I can whip out when somebody says, "oh, you play the harmonica, can you play me something?". These are a catalog not of tunes to be played with others (although, when I do, I blister the other musicians with the heat). Rather, these are tunes that I have down so well that I've worked them inside out and can deliver without any accompaniment, backing track, footdrum or anything other than me and a harp.
These are the tunes that I've used for years as warmups or as default practice tunes that I can easily drop right into when I just want to knock it out of the park for my own satisfaction.
I'm sure most people have the same thing for themselves. Besides the 12 and 8 bar format stuff that really sounds best with the dynamic of a minimum of a guitar or footdrum with the harp sound, I'd like to hear from others so I can get some fresh ideas to add to my list.
My Personal Standards:
Always on My Mind -- Willie Nelson Back on the Chain Gang -- The Pretenders Basin St Blues -- Spencer Williams Carmelita -- Warren Zevon Giant Steps -- John Coltrane I Wish -- Stevie Wonder Land of Make Believe -- Chuck Mangione Me & Bobby McGee -- Kris Kristofferson Memphis -- Chuck Berry Moritat/Mack the Knife -- Kurt Weill My Funny Valentine -- Rogers & Hart No Woman, No Cry -- Bob Marley Oye Como Va -- Tito Puente Roller Derby Queen -- Jim Croce St Thomas -- Sonny Rollins Stardust -- Hoagy Charmichael Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound -- Hank Williams Jr.
There's more, but these are the ones that I can kill with on the streetcorner or by demand. I'd love to hear from others. My imagination gets stale after a while.
i think a great song to 'whip out' in those situations (non-blues) is Somewhere Over the Rainbow -familiar and everyone loves the tune from little kids to seniors!
ps i should add that i learned to play it with lots of help from this list!! ---------- ~Banned in Boston!
Your list is impressive. But I want to hear that Giant Steps. That is NOT the first song that comes to mind when I think of streetcorner harp. But if I could really pull that tune off ON the streetcorner, I sure as hell would. That's like pulling a Glock out of your hip pocket. I gotta see video.
I don't have much or a repertoire at the moment, I usually resort to playing something like Front Porch Blues, Easy or a stripped down version of Walter's Boogie.
My problem is that I have a habit of starting to learn songs, but I tend to get distracted and move on to something else before I finish.
I plan to focus on learning full songs this year, at the moment I am working on 'Getting out of town' by Rick Estrin and Big Walter's version of 'Careless Love'.
I wish I could sing because I would love to be able to pull something like Grant's Dermody's version of 'Reubens Train' out of the bag.
Last Edited by on Jan 16, 2011 11:35 AM
Listen to the clip posted above of Stevie Wonder. The violin that the woman on the left is playing sounds a tad bit like amplified harp. Through something like an old Turner Bullet.
My repertoire mainly consists of songs I wrote myself, but one that I play a lot for other people is Bob Marley's "Redemption Song". It fits naturally on the harp in 1st position, and is very identifiable. I think it might sound even better in 12th, and one day I'll get around to transposing it. Two other songs I can play that people seem to enjoy are "Dirty Old Town" by the Pogues, and "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. ---------- == I S A A C ==
@tookatooka: For me it seems to be a matter of getting off to a good start and then getting discouraged at the hard parts, then hearing something else that sounds fun to play, and moving on to that.
Starting this morning I'm going to go back and finish learning a few of those. I'll start with Whammer Jammer and then Jump Start (Glenn Kaiser).
Back on topic my (short) standards list is as follows:
Amazing Grace You Gotta Move There's Just Something About That Name This Train (is bound for glory) Since I laid My Burdens Down Jesus On The Mainline Oh When The Saints Go Marching In
Admittedly not your typical standards list but instantly recognizable in the circles I run in. ---------- Ozark Rich __________ ##########
I have several that are just instrumentals, but several I would have to sing too. I would be willing to do that, so I'll keep them on my list:
Amazing Grace (Straight up then embellished greatly) Juke Evening Sun Christine Hoodoo Man Blues Mannish Boy Hoochie Coochie Man Standin' Round Cryin' Whammer Jammer La Cucaracha Walking By Myself Trouble in Mind I got My Mojo Workin' Help Me
Classical: Jesu, Joy of Man's desiring (ala Buddy Greene)
Irish: When Irish eyes are smiling Wild Irish Rose Endearing Young Charms
For the kiddies: Baby Beluga
Lots of different Hymns.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some in the dusty back catalog of my brain. Many I started but never finished like some of the others guys here.
I would also think of just catching a groove and throwing whatever I liked on it.
A couple that I do that have not been mentioned...I don't sing so these are harp solo only.
Rocky Top..(but only in Tennesse) in 2nd
Appalachian Sprintime (maybe know also as "Tis A Gift" and works well in all 3 octaves with splits.
Wildwood Flower in 1st
You Are My Sunshine
I do my own chugging/vamping thing that uses 1st, 2nd, and 3rd position.
I have not been brave enough yet, but I'm ready to try "The Entertainer"...I always loved this song and A.G.s awesome version inspired me....Learning this song has made me a better tongue blocker and overblower. Both are required to learn a version similar to Adam's and you must move quickly between the two.
OK, here are the ones that I have worked to death.
Amazing Grace When the Saints Come Marching In Summertime
Of the blues, I prefer 8-bar (or 9-bar) songs, since they generally have a stronger melody line than 12-bar blues. I'm also working up to singing these songs instead of just "instrumentalizing" them.
Key to the Highway Trouble In Mind How Long Blues Sitting on Top of the World Worried Life Blues
Of the 12-bar blues, I'm ready with Stormy Monday (another good sing/play one with strong melody)
I will also play Adam's John Lee Williamson's Blues (instrumental) which is jammed full of sound.
I don't own a video recorder. Sorry. Nor do I wish for this thread to suddenly careen off into a gauntlet throw.
'Steps is one on a list that I posted. Would you recognize it? Absolutely. Can I deftly work the changes in a combo or ensemble context? Not really.
I grew up in a saxophone house. My old man was a huge jazzbo. Throughout my growing up, until I left home, my father had jazz combos that he hosted. He wasn't a pro. He just grew up playing, met my mother in the university music department, and loved music.
From as far back as I can remember, my father considered Giant Steps to be THE bop benchmark. He told all us kids that the ability to play that song determined whether you had legit chops or not.
The easy answer is that it's 16 bars with a whole bunch of thirds.
Like I said, would you recognize it? Yup. And, it can be played on the porch. But, I certainly don't think the 10 hole harp version can be integrated into a jazz context of give and take with other players. The harp is too limited in range.
Now, does anyone else have any good tunes that they have polished up for their own self-enjoyment?
I usually start off with (1) Mary Had A Little Lamb then I break into (2)Row Row Row Your Boat, then it's on to (3)Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, that's the build up for (4) On Top Of Old Smokey,(5)She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain,and then the grand finale (6)Oh Susanna. All from second position with a real bluesy feel. ---------- My YouTube Channel
I've already posted a long list. Most tunes are ok for solo playing
Chicken Shack (????) Rock Around The Clock (G) 5. Afro Blue (Gm) 8. Amazing Grace (?) 9. Autumn Leaves (Gm) 10. Beautiful Love (Gm) 11. Black Orpheus (Em) 12. Blue Moon (Eb) 14. Chattanooga Choo Choo 15. Cherry Pink (Bb) 16. Chicken (F) 17. Fly Me To The Moon (Em) 19. Girl From Ipanema (F)* 22. It Don’t Mean A Thing (Dm) 24. Just Squeeze Me (F) 25. Lullaby Of Birdland (Cm) 26. Menina Moca (Gm) 27. Misty (Eb) 29. My Funny Valentine (Gm) 30. My One And Only Love (C) 31. Oleo (Bb) 32. Polka Dots And Moonbeams (F)* 33. Puttin' On The Ritz (Dm) 34. Round Midnight (Dm) 35. Satin Doll (C) 36. Scrapple From The Apple (Bb) 37. So Danco Samba (C) 38. St. Thomas (C) 39. Summertime (Cm) 40. Sweet Georgia Brown (Ab) 41. Take 5 (Em) 43. Tequila (G) 44. What A Wonderful World 45. When The Saints Go Marching In 46. Work Song (Fm) 47. Yesterdays (Cm) 48. House Of Rising Sun (Am) 49. I just call to say I Love You 51. Fields Of Gold (Sting) (G) 52. Hey Jude (F) 53. Yesterday (F) 54. Besame mucho (Gm) 60. People Are Stranger 64. Feelings (Am) 65. Strangers in The Night 66. Killing Me Softly 67. Ave Maria (??????) (?) 69. The Sailor And The Maid 70. Mennuette (Boccherini) ---------- Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
Very interesting topic and one that I struggle to juggle is a Repertoire. I know ca 300 tunes that would be campfire ready of which a repertoire of 20 - 30 I feel are suitable for streetcorner busking. Nothing however is set in stone as something comes along that I just have to learn.
The topic 'Personal Standards' though to me defines the tunes which are core parts of a repertoire.
Almost every famous artist /musician regardless of genre has those pieces that are their signature tunes. I read an interview with Kenny Rogers who has a body of great work spanning many many decades however the tunes that define him are only a handful ie The Gambler; Ruby; Coward of the County & Islands in the Stream. These are the tunes the wider audience always wants to hear and recognizes.
Knowing and playing hundreds of tunes is great but having them all audience ready is difficult. If asked to play then the core tunes are what I select. I start with something simple eg Shannendoah which is easy but played with feeling and emotion is a great tune. I follow up with other core tunes if the situation allows.
My Repertoire (still evolving) is comprised of a lot of some very old standards:-
Shennandoah Amazing Grace Medley - Jesu Joy-Humoresque-Ode to Joy-Traumerie-Air on a G String-A Love Idea- Wonderful World Turkey in the Straw Planxty Irwin Whiskey Before Breakfast Farewell to Whiskey Red Wing Jolly Beggerman Soldiers Joy Whiskey in the Jar Danny Boy Believe Me if all those Endearing Young Charms Wild Mountain Thyme Black Velvet Band The Parting Glass Vagabond Lover Wayfaring Stranger Hard Times Wildwood Flower Imagine Over the Rainbow Summertime Bridge Over Troubled Water Yesterday Long Winding Road Georgia Ghost Riders In the Sky St James Infirmary Let the Rest of the World Roll By
plus a number of folk, traditional, Australian tunes and Christmas Carols.
I have dozens of song I know a bit of on guitar and mandolin. The interest started out with a vengeance the fizzled in the end.
John McGann suggests that you start learning a song at the middle of the tune. Then learn the beginning. His reasoning is that when you mess up, you go back and start over. If you start at the "start"........it gets played a million times. You never get good at the end.
You'll's (how south can you get?) lists are great. I've got several ideas off of them without going through hundreds of tunes in an index. Thanks.
I'm still working on clean single note songs. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is a GREAT suggestion for me. The hole "jumps" (4 to 7) are helping me a lot.
Greg
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Just when I got a paddle, they added more water to the creek.
