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.
