This video was recently posted on youtube. It's nice to have a reminder of a beautiful Spring day in the middle of winter. Thanks to the Richard from Berlin for sharing it, and Pete for finding it.
Showing posts with label harmonica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label harmonica. Show all posts
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Addendum to WSP 10/26/08 + harp 101
By the way, Charisse is becoming an accomplished bass player--very solid. She also sings well, though a little softly. She might try leading a song once in a while. I really appreciate her playing on Lay Down Sally, and Dead Flowers.
Red Hook Slim is a good harp player, with a blues background I think. He plays cross harp, which is the blues style.
Harp 101
Harp is slang for harmonica. There are different styles of diatonic harp. A diatonic harp has the notes from the major scale of a single key--ie, the white keys on the piano. This is opposed to a chromatic harp, which lets you play all 12 notes on the chromatic scale--ie, the white keys & black keys on the piano.
The 3 styles of diatonic harp that I know are:
1) Straight harp. If the song is in C, you use a C harp. The C harp has C, E & G as blow notes. (The draw notes are a little more complicated.) In other words, when you blow out playing straight harp you get I, III & V -- the C major triad. So if you blow out randomly on a C harp, you get some random inversion of a C major chord. When you play straight harp, about 3/4 of the notes are blows. Straight harp is good for folk, and for playing melodies. I play straight harp about 70% of the time. It's easy, and I think most people enjoy hearing a solo that incorporates the melody. It can also sound pretty soulful on certain songs. I like it on "On the Road Again", "Salty Dog Blues", "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues." Bob Dylan mainly played straight harp.
2) Cross harp. To play cross, you pick up a harp that is at an interval of IV from the key of the song. So if the song is in C, you pick up an F harp. This is great for twelve-bar blues, and very common in country. In cross harp, about 3/4 of the notes are draws. (When you suck in on the harmonica, it's called a "draw". Harmonicas are double-reed instruments, and the draw makes a different note than the blow). Draws can be more expressive than blows, partly because it's easy to bend a draw note. Draws are good for making train sounds, and playing blue notes. This is why cross harp works well for blues and country. Red Hook plays cross almost exclusively, and Daniel seems to use it most of the time.
3) 3rd position. Use a harp that is a VII interval from the song. So if the song is in E, pick up a D harp. This is good for songs in a minor key. A song in A minor would be very hard to accompany with an A harp--i.e., first position. But a G harp will usually do the trick. I also heard that 3rd position can be used for blues, but haven't had much success with it yet.
Red Hook Slim is a good harp player, with a blues background I think. He plays cross harp, which is the blues style.
Harp 101
Harp is slang for harmonica. There are different styles of diatonic harp. A diatonic harp has the notes from the major scale of a single key--ie, the white keys on the piano. This is opposed to a chromatic harp, which lets you play all 12 notes on the chromatic scale--ie, the white keys & black keys on the piano.
The 3 styles of diatonic harp that I know are:
1) Straight harp. If the song is in C, you use a C harp. The C harp has C, E & G as blow notes. (The draw notes are a little more complicated.) In other words, when you blow out playing straight harp you get I, III & V -- the C major triad. So if you blow out randomly on a C harp, you get some random inversion of a C major chord. When you play straight harp, about 3/4 of the notes are blows. Straight harp is good for folk, and for playing melodies. I play straight harp about 70% of the time. It's easy, and I think most people enjoy hearing a solo that incorporates the melody. It can also sound pretty soulful on certain songs. I like it on "On the Road Again", "Salty Dog Blues", "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues." Bob Dylan mainly played straight harp.
2) Cross harp. To play cross, you pick up a harp that is at an interval of IV from the key of the song. So if the song is in C, you pick up an F harp. This is great for twelve-bar blues, and very common in country. In cross harp, about 3/4 of the notes are draws. (When you suck in on the harmonica, it's called a "draw". Harmonicas are double-reed instruments, and the draw makes a different note than the blow). Draws can be more expressive than blows, partly because it's easy to bend a draw note. Draws are good for making train sounds, and playing blue notes. This is why cross harp works well for blues and country. Red Hook plays cross almost exclusively, and Daniel seems to use it most of the time.
3) 3rd position. Use a harp that is a VII interval from the song. So if the song is in E, pick up a D harp. This is good for songs in a minor key. A song in A minor would be very hard to accompany with an A harp--i.e., first position. But a G harp will usually do the trick. I also heard that 3rd position can be used for blues, but haven't had much success with it yet.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Monday 5/7/07
Yesterday around 5:30 pm at the height of rush hour I'm walking down 6th Ave by 14th St Street, headed for the park. Someone is begging loudly, would someone please give him some change, he's trying to save enough for a harmonica. All he needs is a harmonica, a little music, he keeps whining, really.
I walk past, then turn to look. The guy is standing by the F train entrance; he's kind of old and raggedy, tall and thin with long gray hair. I start to walk away then turn back again. Finally I ask him: do you really want money to buy a harmonica?
Up close I see he's not so old. Maybe my age. He's pretty dirty and his teeth are mostly gone--3 or 4 brown stubs. He's happy I asked. Of course he wants a harmonica.
I happen to be carrying a backpack full of six harmonicas, so I give him my C harp which is the only marine band. I tell him it's been used, but he doesn't mind. He plays a little bit of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", then some blues. He gives me a big smile and a big filthy hand-shake, heads down the subway stairs to make some money, I hope.
Two steps down he turns back and says: Who sent you? Was it Jesus?
I keep going to the park It's half-closed, roped-off and patrolled by glowering security guards. NYU graduation is coming.
Some say that NYU wants to make the park its front lawn. NYU is a prestigious university with no campus, except Washington Square which becomes campus defacto, because NYU buildings surround it.
No guitarists are out, but there is a serious jazz duet --bass and saxophone--which demands complete respect. Music students, I guess. If I had their talent and dedication I could probably do at least as well. The guy I gave my harmonica to wasn't bad, either.
I walk past, then turn to look. The guy is standing by the F train entrance; he's kind of old and raggedy, tall and thin with long gray hair. I start to walk away then turn back again. Finally I ask him: do you really want money to buy a harmonica?
Up close I see he's not so old. Maybe my age. He's pretty dirty and his teeth are mostly gone--3 or 4 brown stubs. He's happy I asked. Of course he wants a harmonica.
I happen to be carrying a backpack full of six harmonicas, so I give him my C harp which is the only marine band. I tell him it's been used, but he doesn't mind. He plays a little bit of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", then some blues. He gives me a big smile and a big filthy hand-shake, heads down the subway stairs to make some money, I hope.
Two steps down he turns back and says: Who sent you? Was it Jesus?
I keep going to the park It's half-closed, roped-off and patrolled by glowering security guards. NYU graduation is coming.
Some say that NYU wants to make the park its front lawn. NYU is a prestigious university with no campus, except Washington Square which becomes campus defacto, because NYU buildings surround it.
No guitarists are out, but there is a serious jazz duet --bass and saxophone--which demands complete respect. Music students, I guess. If I had their talent and dedication I could probably do at least as well. The guy I gave my harmonica to wasn't bad, either.
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