Full disclosure, I am a bassist… I am in a Black Sabbath tribute band and one song, “The Wizard” has very specific harmonica parts, especially the intro. If you know, you know… LOL
Anyway, I am trying to help our singer out and get him one. The song is in A, but we tune some songs down a half-step, including this one… So in essence, the song is in G#
So if I was garner him a harmonica… what should I be on the lookout for? I am admittedly lost and this is a song we should really have in our repertoire. And those parts are key. (pun intended… lol)
It’s a pretty weird key but it goes G# A, B, C, so C, should be your key on the harp, here, I say should be sharps are always awkward keys blues wise a lot of harp players use B flat because that sounds nice for blues as do a lot of Flats, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked to play in a Sharp key. But that’s bands for you rarely do they play for the vocals, even rarer do they ever play for the harp.
PS. Black Sabbath’s 1st album was one of my earliest album purchases not long after it came out and I saw Ozzy with the band in '78 not long before he left. That was the tour where Van Halen were the ‘unknown’ support band. LOL!
Hmmm!!! The Oz-branded harmonica! I love it. I might need to look into that… But since I am offering to pick it up for him, I don’t want to go crazy (train)… My only worry was what one to get - but from what Andy said above, a “C” harp… The Wizard was recorded in A… but we do play it a step down, in G#/A flat… That was my concern… I want to make sure I pick up the correct one… I am completely lost with these… Cause I see harps (that Easttop you mention) comes in Ab…) that is where I get confused… (sorry…)
And WAY COOL to see them back in the day with VH… Wow… What a night that must have been.
Yeah, I’m aware of Black Sabbath they were literally formed around the corner from where we live. I know their original manager quite well, and the pub where we go to see live bands is right next to Black Sabbath bridge in Birmingham UK
In fact I saw them several times years ago. We pretty much in Heavy rock/ metal central Judas Priest were formed down the road in West Bromwich and Walsall, Robert Plant and John Bonham were from Stourbridge (as was Christine Macvie of Fleetwood Mac) ELO Birmingham and Coseley, Slade Bilston and Walsall. Diamond Head Stourbridge In fact the majority of metal, rock acts came from around here or influenced everyone else. However I find that frustrating because I love Blues and no one around here can play blues without it being loud and guitar driven. It’s not really blues it’s Rock my feelings are if you want to play rock go ahead and do that but don’t call it what it isn’t.
If you are going to play crossharp (2nd position) in G# (Ab) that would be a Db. The song though is in A. The harp being used is a D!
I missed the part about tuning down a half step. So as stated before G# (Ab) use a Db harp
I don’t claim to know all the notes I just play them mostly by ear, I generally stick to the Keys I know, I googled C harp where it bends to in third draw it was obviously wrong. As I said I rarely go out of my certain keys when I play I’ve never played where the guitar key is in a Sharp. As I play blues. Ozzy Osbourne only plays a C harmonica. In fact Hohner made one it only comes in C. As I also said bands rarely play for the vocalist or the harmonica player. They generally play for themselves
Bands play in the key of the frontman. So if the leader is the harmonica player or the vocalist the band has to know how to play in their favoured key.
If on the other hand you wanted to try playing with an established band as just part of the band you would need to know how to select the correct harmonica to play every different tune in the same key as the band. Eg to be in tune or in harmony at least.
I basically play in the keys I am asked to play that I have in my Case diatonic A, Bb, C, D, E, F, G, A Minor, C minor G minor.
I’ve not played chromatic live yet but I have 2 of those on in A and one in C with a band yet. And I have 3 Lucky 13 Power benders 2 in c one in A hoping to get a D, I do have some sharps but they just lie there in the box no one has ever to play them?
