What song are you working on?

[Luke]

@HarpinBobbyMcB

the harmonica is pretty forgiving across the harp except for hitting those two notes together which sounds a bit like a squealing cat.

@HarpinBobbyMcB

My Auto-Key tuning app tells me the song is in the Key of G Major

Incorrect. Song is in the key of C. (Never trust a robot.)

@HarpinBobbyMcB

Can other notes typically be used that are outside in the scale we are playing?

HECK YEAH! Aren’t all rules created to challenge us to break them? Remember: if it SOUNDS good, it IS good.
(In the context of technique we have to add how it feels as well:
if it SOUNDS good, and it FEELS good, it IS good. So we don’t do things that hurt our bodies.)

In poetry there are no wrong words or punctuation. In art there are no wrong colors or shapes. In music there are no wrong notes.

In the final analysis, this is ART, NOT SCIENCE.

Playing wrong notes with Victor Wooten

Please take 10 mins to hear it from a true master.

Keep on rocking

[HarpinBobbyMcB]

The more I learn about music, the more I am amazed at how deep and broad it goes!

It’s literally like having chased a rabbit down a hole to find an intricate maze I never knew existed, I appreciate your guidance through its tunnels.

I am amazed at how music is made and how musicians play it. This video about playing the “wrong notes right” is excellent!

Speaking of rabbit holes thanks for the trip back to 2001 Space Odyssey with Hal! I was wondering where that link would take me. Makes me wanna watch the movie again.

Thanks for your input @Luke to break a few rules along the way and to flow with what we feel

[toogdog]

Two very clever guys. Some people can do something clever and amazing but I think real intelligence is shown when you can explain it to others in a way they can learn from your experience.

[toogdog]

Great playing by you. What a song. Loved the vid. Can you dance like that? So amazing sensual. I’m just having a little day dream at my desk.

[toogdog]

Maybe my next song should be September by Earth, Wind and Fire?

Any takers in a challenge?
[/quote]

Wow. Thats fast. If I crack that I’ll go on YOUTUBE. I think the world is safe.

[HarpinBobbyMcB]

The dancing by the girl in the Vid is incredible and the whole scene is very sensual. Juan Luis Guerra definitely evokes this feeling in his music and the girl seems to have the whole vibe flowing through her body.

I wish I could dance like that or even like the guy who does alright in his own right to highlight her sensuality. Incredible song and video!

I’m just hanging out on the sidelines seeing what’s gonna happen

[HarpinBobbyMcB]

Do you remember
The 21st night of September?
Love was changin’ the minds of pretenders
While chasin’ the clouds away

Our hearts were ringin’
In the key that our souls were singin’
As we danced in the night, remember
How the stars stole the night away, oh, yeah

Hey, hey, hey
Ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember?
Ba-dee-ya, dancin’ in September
Ba-dee-ya, never was a cloudy day

The song sticks in your head once you Humm few bars.

Just listen to what your mind plays and try and replicate on the harp…

I betting you are gonna get it and we are gonna see you too on YT

[KeroroRinChou]

I’ve been working on a few songs with my teacher. I wanted to add more songs that had Terry McMillan on harp other than “Ain’t Goin’ Down ('til the Sun Comes Up)” and “Amazing Grace” to my arsenal
The songs I’ve been working on are these: “That’s Why I Sing this Way” by Daryle Singletary

That's Why I Sing This Way

“No One Needs to Know” by Shania Twain

Shania Twain-No One Needs To Know-Jay Leno Show (1996)

And the Club remix of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” by Brooks & Dunn

Boot Scootin' Boogie (Club Mix)

[HarpinBobbyMcB]

Love the sounds on all three of those songs!

Music is so diverse with so many different styles.

Some really nice harmonica in there. Thanks for sharing.

[AstridHandbikebee63]

@KeroroRinChou,
Good presentation! I used to listen to Shania Twain a lot and now, thanks to your memory, it’s back on the agenda.
Here is a little tidbit from my homeland :

Reichsbahnblues

Greetings from Astrid

[HarpinBobbyMcB]

I love that!

What great talent. I know so many people play the harp because if the Blues, and while I dig the sound, the over all vibe is just so sad!

I suppose that’s why I mainly stick to melodies in first position which don’t require accurate bends. I’m sure one of these days I’ll open up the Blues can of worms in my playing, but for now I’m content to listen to it

Great harmonica playing

[AstridHandbikebee63]

Hello @HarpinBobbyMcB,
are you making progress with “September”?
Will probably play it too in your Challenge. Maybe. Maybe…

[HarpinBobbyMcB]

I’ve been playing it a bit. Not sure what to do on second part, go up an octave or change harp?

There is a part of the song which sounds a lot like the old song Mindy, and my mouth seems to want to go in that direction, so I have to steer it back into September.

[toogdog]

I don’t know the Mindy song. I tried to find it online. Do you have a link?
I look forward to hearing you and Astrid doing September. I can’t practice much at the moment. Only have time for a quick toot every now and again but as soon as I get through this back log I’ll be playing much more.

[AstridHandbikebee63]

@HarpinBobbyMcB,
I was looking for the right tabs on the keyboard. In addition, of course, the original is often heard.
I will not play a C harp.
The passage in the second part is played in the upper part of the harp. I won’t change the harp like I did on “Sailing”.
Where I’m still thinking about which BPM to use. As fast as in the original, which mainly lives from the singing? You can do it, but the harp doesn’t get it here. The feeling for this song was not shown.
But that’s the status for me today after three days!
Greetings from Astrid
Now it’s 3 a.m. and I’m enjoying the rain . Finally!
“I’m singing in the rain”

[AstridHandbikebee63]

@toogdog,
Well, I don’t really have the time right now. But somehow there’s always something not to do.
Since I don’t want to leave you alone, I’ll try to make it. Now it looks like @HarpinBobbyMcB will have to play alone. Wouldn’t be a “challenge” then… Who actually suggested it?
Maybe we should start with Christmas songs after that ?

[HarpinBobbyMcB]

I never was too good at lyrics…

The name of the song I was thinking about is Windy by The Association from back in the 60’s. More recently the song was featured in Breaking Bad on an episode about Wendy, a rather interesting character in the show

Wendy / Windy Breaking Bad & The Association

I think this is my next song, I love the melody

[toogdog]

That song reminds me of mini skirts and knee high boots with too much make-up. Glad we’ve moved on a bit from there. But you’re right great little melody. I can see how the rhythm makes you flick to it from September.

[toogdog]

Glad its cooling down for you. I’m sick of the rain here. Lucky you got out when you could in the sunshine.

[HarpinBobbyMcB]

Okay, here goes a combination of two songs which bring great memories: September by Earth, Wind and Fire and Windy by The Association (I posted a pretty cool version up above👆 from the television series Breaking Bad).

September / Windy - Lee Oskar A

You can see the lyrics to what I play in the description on YouTube if you want to follow along. I’m not much of a tabs guy, so I’m not really sure most of the time if I’m drawing or blowing, or even what hole I’m on, but rather just play what seems to sound right. With that said, I’ve found the tabs to be an invaluable resource for when I just can’t figure out the melody, which happens with some frequency.

The second song kept coming to mind as I played the first, so I decided to put them together.

Most challenging for me in the first song was the first note which in one tab I saw was a 3 draw bent a full step, and though it probably could be done without the bend, I decided to give it a shot with the bend. I’m still not great with bends, particularly on my A harp, but practicing it over the last few days has helped me to get it a bit better.

Another challenging part was to get the transitions from the lower octave to the higher octave and then back again to the lower in September. Again not great, but I finally got something that seemed to work for me.

I tried doing some tongue blocking in the higher octave, as one of the tabs I found suggested, but either I wasn’t doing it right or they were wrong, because it just didn’t seem to add anything to the song, so I just did what sounded right to me and decided to leave tongue blocking for another day…

While I’ve shared some of the other songs I play on Instagram and other olaces, those I’ve shared here on this forum have been especially fun to do since I know many who are here go through the same thoughts and challenges as I do when I’m working on a song.

Happy Windy September to all y’all