I don't often venture into holes 8,9 and 10 apart from 1st position melody work. When I play blues I typically use 2nd position and I find it a problem travelling up to the top holes and back down again in a seamless way.
Do you have any suggestions of possible riffs I could use that resolve well. With or without using OB/OD.
I've posted this before. When you bridge between the middle and upper registers in second position hit B5 (6th) and D6 (9th) to make the transition. it will sound very smooth and musical.
hvyj covered this a couple of weeks ago. I tried to find the old thread but couldn't.
Although hvyj says use the B5 and D6, I'm sure it works well, but after using D5 and B6 for so long in the blues scale, I found my muscle memory isn't programmed to do it and I'm finding it really tricky.
If you come up with any good example riffs using B5 and D6 to link the registers, I'd be mighty pleased to hear some examples. It may be just what I need to make the breakthrough. Good Luck.
Just an idea, but instead of a transition "lick" I like to use a riff and then repeat it up an octave higher. This way I make a fluid jump in the melodic-sense and can use the upper end, usually transitioning back down and hitting a variation of the same riff on the lower end again.
tookatooka:"Although hvyj says use the B5 and D6, I'm sure it works well, but after using D5 and B6 for so long in the blues scale, I found my muscle memory isn't programmed to do it and I'm finding it really tricky. "
Well, then you need to learn how to play a major pentatonic scale (which includes these notes). There is more than one scale that can be played w/o OBs /ODs on a Richter tuned diatonic in second position and it's worth learning those breath patterns in order to have command over the instrument. I mean, have you ever heard of a guitar player or sax player who could only play ONE scale comfortably? if one wants to be taken seriously as a musician one needs to be able to play more than one or two scales.
But, seriously, you can't get the blues scale in the high register in second position so you are transitioning from the blues scale to a Mixolydian scale. You can get away with hitting B6, but hitting D5 makes the transition sound rough. Train yourself and your muscle memory to hit different breath patterns for different scales or at least for this transition. It's worth the effort and it is readily doable with practice. it's the sort of thing musicians who play other instruments work on all the time.
Thanks hvyj. I'm very grateful for the fact you have the Pentatonic Scales in your Profile information. I have copied and used that but I really must discipline myself and get my study routine organised properly. I tend to jump about all over the place.
You must get fed up with having to repeat yourself.
However I am very grateful for your advice and the fact you made the scales info available.
I must get to grips with learning the pentatonic scales. I must get to grips with learning the pentatonic scales. I must get to grips with learning the pentatonic scales. ........................................
Grey Owl I found the John Gindick book @ CD 'Bluesify your Melody' contains some stuff that assisted me in jumping octaves. He lays it out with tabs for lots of variations to to well known tunes in the end section 'Improvising on the Melody'.
@ Tooka. This is quite a useful page,it covers a few scales and positions. http://www.riccardos.net/harmonicas/scales/in_words/all_one_page.shtml ---------- The Pentatonics Myspace Youtube
"Why don't you leave some holes when you play, and maybe some music will fall out".
