harmonicanick
1098 posts
Feb 23, 2011
10:37 AM
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Well, being a jam session addict, twice a week, every week for yonks, we all got a surprise last night when the key was called and it was B major for Red House.
I don't know what key Jimi did it in, but I pulled out the dusty E harp for once.
Anyone else use the E harp in 2nd regularily and what tunes?
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toddlgreene
2647 posts
Feb 23, 2011
10:55 AM
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My E doesn't see a lot of use, but I sat in with a friend's band recently, and they played a tune in B. We both grabbed E harps and traded off. I think it was an original, as I've never heard it before. I like it when I'm able to save wear and tear on my most commonly-used keys(A, Ab, C, D & F see tons of use in my band)
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Todd
my moderator username is Admin007
Eudora and Deep Soul
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harpdude61
747 posts
Feb 23, 2011
11:03 AM
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A couple of tracks I heard from Hendrix he plays it in Bb. My E harp doesn't see much use either unless I'm jamming along with SRV stuff.
E is one of the most common keys for blues. Maybe some woodsheddin in 1st position and I could use this harp more.
Red House is a great song to jam to. At the local blues jam they play it in A. I do a break in second position, then later on they bring it way down and I play high end 1st position.
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jawbone
406 posts
Feb 23, 2011
11:15 AM
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I use my E for "Messin' with the Kid" but that's the only one so far - We do Red House in B flat but I solo with the trumpet, into my harp mic, for that one.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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Joe_L
1095 posts
Feb 23, 2011
11:18 AM
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I use an E harp in the key of B periodically. I can't recall what songs were played. It was probably whatever tune the singer was singing.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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walterharp
546 posts
Feb 23, 2011
11:35 AM
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we have one original in b where i pull out my low e, and crank my octave to do a thunderous chord intro (sort of power chords on harp).. and we do hey bartender in B
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colman
28 posts
Feb 23, 2011
11:51 AM
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A harp 3rd pos.is fine.and it don`t have to be in Bm
most blues is maj. chords with blues scales any how.
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Barry C.
182 posts
Feb 23, 2011
12:17 PM
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we do shake your moneymaker in B - works well with E harp. I also use it for the half-step modulation playing Jump Jive & Wail in Bb when it modulates to the B (so I use Eb, then switch to E harp).
It's a key worth having.
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~Banned in Boston!
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HarpNinja
1132 posts
Feb 23, 2011
1:20 PM
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I avoid E like the plague. I do have one...and a Low E, but I would have used an A harp on that tune in third...and since I use almost all ET harps, it wouldn't have sounded too minor to hammer on the blues scale.
As an exercise in stupidity, I've been trying to only gig with 7 different keys. In one band, I am down to 5.
I've recently stopped playing anything higher than Eb, but it is just a stage.
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Mike
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
Updated 2/23/11
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harmonicanick
1099 posts
Feb 23, 2011
2:50 PM
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Hey ninja I think that is a shame because you can get so much CONTRAST using them high keys.
I especially like high G which cuts through to the astonishment of the listener:)
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Miles Dewar
737 posts
Feb 23, 2011
3:05 PM
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I use "D", "E", and "F" the most.
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I never get to pull out my "Bb" at the Tuesday jam session I go to. Nobody likes playing and singing in "F" so it collects dust.
They do a LOT of Junior Wells songs there so I get all the high harp fun I want.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2011 3:07 PM
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harmonicanick
1101 posts
Feb 23, 2011
3:09 PM
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Miles you are in an unusual 'jam' position
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The Gloth
583 posts
Feb 24, 2011
1:36 AM
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With my previous band, we played "Drop Down Mama" (Sleepy John Estes) in B, and also "Aï Du" (Ali Farka Touré).
With the band I'm in now, we have a kind of original hard rock song in B. Usually I don't like too much the E harp, cause it's too high, but on a tune like that, with heavy riffing and bass, it cuts well through.
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Joe_L
1098 posts
Feb 24, 2011
3:31 AM
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Nick - I am not so sure about that. Lots of guitar players like to do BB King tunes in Bb. They also do Albert King stuff in B. Carry Bell did some stuff in B, but he usually played an A harp in third position. (it's very rare to hear someone call a Carey Bell tune at a jam.). I play a ton of tunes in C at jams.
A lot of jump and swing stuff seems to get called in Bb, B and C. Living on the West Coast of the US, those keys get called enough to warrant carrying an Eb, E and F harps.
I just played a few tunes the other night with Kid Andersen in Bb and C.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by on Feb 24, 2011 3:32 AM
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garry
32 posts
Feb 25, 2011
6:27 AM
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my band does a number of tunes in B, as does another local band i sit in with often. i think it's more of a rock thing than a blues thing. in a harp-l discussion of what were the basic harp keys you need, the only one i disagreed with was Eb, vs E. i have both in my kit, but hardly ever touch the Eb.
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GamblersHand
257 posts
Feb 25, 2011
6:54 AM
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I use Eb more in a blues combo, playing swing & jive songs like Oh Well Oh Well, Roll 'Em Pete, She Walks Right In, etc
I hardly ever play a blues in B, at least not that I can recall
I use the E occasionally in a rock covers band, adding some harp to blues-based rock songs like Jumping Jack Flash, Hard to Handle, Bohemian Like You. Hey, keeps me amused.
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Miles Dewar
740 posts
Feb 25, 2011
8:55 AM
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@Harmonicanick,
The place IS strange. There are not too many people that sing there. Only a few guys. One of whom seems to Exclusively do Junior Wells songs (It's pretty funny actually). It's also nice because I find myself going straight to Junior on my iPod most times.
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toddlgreene
2658 posts
Feb 25, 2011
8:59 AM
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Miles-I will gladly trade you our guy here at jams who ALWAYS does Born to Be Wild(badly, and with his eyes closed so he can ignore the band's signals)for your guy who always does Junior Wells tunes. Because it's an uneven trade, I'll throw in the overly-loud guitarist who always calls Zeppelin tunes- at a blues jam, where no one can sing it anyway. Deal?
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Todd
my moderator username is Admin007
Eudora and Deep Soul
Last Edited by on Feb 25, 2011 9:01 AM
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groyster1
882 posts
Feb 25, 2011
9:10 AM
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what do you fellows play when the band is in D? high G or regular G?
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toddlgreene
2659 posts
Feb 25, 2011
9:12 AM
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Depends on the feel of the tune. Sometimes I'll play both, usually starting on a low G, then building up to the high for contrast during solos. If I'm with loud players or it's a hard-driving song, I'll choose the hiG to cut thru the mix.
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Todd
my moderator username is Admin007
Eudora and Deep Soul
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harmonicanick
1102 posts
Feb 25, 2011
9:54 AM
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I agree Todd, and for the same reasons i often use a low F to start chugging behind the tune and then start a solo in Low and then switch to high.
It is interesting hearing about other jams though, and they seem to have one thing in common, they all have strange eccentric performers!
I think a lot depends on the ability of the person running the show, it has to be difficult in order to make it interesting for new performers and not scare 'em, keep it fresh, sort out the dominant players, sort out the players who get pissed, make sure there is no knob tweaking by guitarists and still make it a show for the punters in the pub and turn them on to the blues, what do you say??
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