You do not realize that these sites, charts and tables are aimed at beginners. Of course +4o can be played – using the more advanced technique of overblowing. And it is even possible on your solo-tuned diatonic harp: also using the overblow method.
Indeed, with practice and patience even you can learn to play your solo-tuned diatonic harp fully chromatically. Then all sharps and flats can be played on a solo-tuned C diatonic harp. This is not to say that owning additional ones with custom reeds (as you have done: F# replacing F, for example) is bad or wrong or cheating in some fashion. It is just a fact.
Correct – especially by beginners or even some intermediate players. However, among professionals there are very few who cannot play +4o at all – in fact, I would wager that all professionals can play it. Just not all of them use overblows for various reasons, as stated in the full text of the quoted message of mine.
Perhaps it is necessary (for you) to read the original message again to appreciate the reasoning for some professionals not using overblows or overdraws. Just ask Luke @Luke or read here on the forum his own reasons for not using overblows and overdraws until fairly recently.
I don’t understand your point. This seems to be totally irrelevant to the topic being discussed, even though it is probably true.
I was trying to understand the reason someone would play a song in the key of G in second position on a C harp rather than in first position on a G harp. One of the reasons given was that the person may not have a G harp. I don’t think that is a valid reason as explained, but that is just me nitpicking. I didn’t mean to cause offence.
I presume that is because the notes that have to be bent are not just bent down and played as a clean note of the right pitch but are bent down progressively like a slur, which presumably gives the bluesy sound?
@pmolsen - well principally it’s because the Blues is composed of dominant 7th chords, which are more commonly referred to as simply “7th chord.”
These are different from Major 7th chords in just one way. They both have root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, but the 7th degree is a half-step lower in a dominant 7th chord.
So when we play -2345 on the harmonica that is 1-3-5-b7 (G-B-D-F) The fact that note is an F (and not an F#) is the key point of why 2nd position works so well for blues. This note is also achievable an octave lower as -2" and octave higher as -9.
This corresponds to playing G to G on the white keys of piano which is sometimes called “The Mixolydian” mode, which is simply the major scale with the 7th degree a half-step lower.
If you are doing Beginner to Boss definitely check out the Module 9 Music Theory Appendix as that will help fill in some gaps here.
Maybe this will help. Do re mi fa sol la ti Do. A “position” determines which hole is “Do” & the scale you have available. 1st. position. (C harp) Blow, first hole will put you in the key of C and yield a C Maj scale Second position, 2nd hole draw is your starting point, and will yield a blues scale. On a C harp that would be the key of G blues. Different positions yield different scales. Position is not the same thing as notes. Position doesn’t mean what it seems like you believe it to means It is simply where you start to yield the desired key/notes/scale. Position doesn’t mean just moving to a different tone hole. Don’t think so much. Moving to different tone hole is just playing a different note. Using the fourth tone hole in a song doesn’t mean you are suddenly playing in fourth position. Oh yeah, 1st position is 1st tone hole blow and 2nd position is second tone hole DRAW which in the bottom octave is the 5th note of the scale, hence the KEY of G the second tone hole draw is Do (re mi fa…) same thing on all diatonic standard tuning harps. This is a perfect example of how learning the circle of fifths is useful. and
As you move clockwise you are adding a flat to the key signature and it is the INTERVAL of a fifth away from the previous note. If you move counter clockwise you move the interval of a 4th from the previous not. We could go down a very deep rabbit hole right here with things like if you invert a Maj interval it becomes minor and subtracted from 9 (Maj 3rd inverted is a min 6th or in the case of the fourth and fifth interval (known as “perfect” still subtracted from 9 a fourth is now a fifth and a fifth becomes a fourth but they remain perfect. Not anything you need to memorize but knowing how to label stuff is a definite shortcut. That’s all this is is labels/shortcuts. The sheet says 2nd position, you know what they’re talking about. Don’t really have to know the why and wherefore, just what to do in concrete terms when you see something like 2nd position. Some positions give you min keys/scales others give you modes (more scales) Modes were pre-Bach.
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