Modern Blues Harmonica 159 - soprano harp, first position

[Babejuda]

Bravo! Thanks for uploading this interesting vid. and wonderful music.

[Michelesmile86]

BRAVO?? go at 9:00 and u can clearly see that the harmonica plays before he touch it...its just a bad PLAYBACK

[originalbarefootiano]

i found this video on a french harmonica discussion group two days ago, and after a couple of open harp setup sessions to get the overblows working (better), i've got that high E harp in my pocket and i'm having a ball.

great job adam.

good things to you,

iano

[KudzuRunner]

I'll kick his ass next time I see him, and I'll tell him you sent me. He was playing very well indeed when I was just a boy and hadn't even touched a harp, but he's a faded rose these days, I'm in my prime, and I look forward to ripping him limb from limb when we cross paths. I've been playing with the Devil (Mr. Satan) for 23 years and MY Devil was born in Mississippi, not the frigid wastes of upper Lapland....... :)

[HARMONIMONSTER]

Wow ! this is the way blues shoud be... naked, raw. Thanks for stirring up the neurons,... you ARE the teachers teacher,brother. Check out Willie "Red" Newman- St.Louis Blues- on Pat Missins site for some wild strait harp.

[KudzuRunner]

Good question.  Of course he played the high notes on lower key harps, in second position, but I don't actually recall him playing the high notes on high harps, such as this E harp. I don't know his repertoire well, but I'd be extremely surprised to find that he played the high notes on a high harp in FIRST position. As for overblows, which are at the heart of the challenge I'm issuing here: no, he doesn't do those at all.

[ranchosdancingbull]

Didn't John Popper experiment a little with soprano licks and riffs?

[qazqwe57]

1 st pos from recently w/ higher tuned harp? Phil Wiggins: "Jelly Roll", key Eb, from a CD out in 1999, if I remember correctly. Think it is called "Cool down".

[KudzuRunner]

You're right! I just checked out the preview on iTunes. It's the exception that proves the rule, but you've definitely thrown me a gotcha. Wiggins hits the 10 blow on the high harp, too, and it's a little....raw.

[krizem]

Love those FFatt octaves man....yep double f and double t dig them... wish i could over blow can blow bend but ma in a rut like the fact that you have challenged a few well known over blowers cheers .... i will drink a a few beers to this :) thanks ;)

[jasonricci]

Yo Mang you gonna comment on my video o what? That shit took my whole afternoon...

[KudzuRunner]

It's fantastic! I had a frantic day yesterday; watched your whole......now my two-year-old is jumping on my lap and wants Mavis videos (Thomas the Tank Engine.) You're the man. I wanted to watch the whole thing again before I said anything.....

[jasonricci]

No!!! Thank you so much I was checking every ten minutes like a school girl...Excited, frightened.. for reals.

[ranchosdancingbull]

Too funny Jason! I wish I could spend a day in your head, even though its a bad neighborhood. Ever listen to the audio preview option on these posts? I'm gonna do a new now with the famous line from A Space Odessy 2001.

[ranchosdancingbull]

wat r u dewh aw wing  dave

[12gagedan]

Very cool idea. I must try this.

[jasonricci]

Do it chowder head!

[12gagedan]

it will be a while. don't let me forget.

[elkriverharmonicas]

I know you said you didn't know of anybody "certainly in the last 30 of 40 years" and I don't know either of anybody recently, but the guy I'm thinking about is Gwen Foster. I posted a response with Gwen playing first position blues up high with an F harp.

[elkriverharmonicas]

I forgot to say this, there's no overblows in it, so it's not exactly what you're talking about, but it's a good starting point, I think, for anybody wanting to do this.

[KudzuRunner]

My friend, you have struck gold--and you've educated me in the process. I've never heard of Gwen Foster. So there you go: a gem from the past who clearly deserves all the attention he can get. You're right: no overblows. But heck:  the man can blow that harp. Beautiful!

[elkriverharmonicas]

I never ceased to be amazed by Foster.. he played like that with the harp in a neck rack.

[schultzy06]

and thanks to fabzzzxxx for the great tip on thiery crommen! i just checked him out and he's great

[schultzy06]

yeah great challenge adam. i've really been seeking out ways out of the typical harp pitfalls lately. i thought i was onto something when i started my pretty violin-esque 3rd pos major stuff, but then i heard jason's recording of "goin' to california" with heidi and the el cats, and he was doing the same thing in 12th but better, haha. can't wait to see what i figure out with this

[missmymissy]

Whats the CD?

[KudzuRunner]

Hit the "more info" link thingie to the right of the video--the extended video description.

[BluezBro604]

it would prob help if i could overblow...which i cannot. bummer.

[benkalem]

Oh my, this one's a tricky one. I'm gonna give it a shot, and we'll see how far that takes me... I've never heard of any blues recording in the key of F in 1st position, especially not in the high end of the harp.

Damn, Adam. You're the Captain Kirk of harpists!

[KudzuRunner]

See Jason R's note above, however: he certainly COULD play first position in an F, far better than I can, and he's one of the few guys around throwing first-position-type licks into his cross-harp solos (i.e., F harp played in the key of C.) I've recently started to do this, and it is way cool. Baby steps for me....

[KudzuRunner]

I should say: first-position-type licks WITH OVERBLOWS, into his cross-harp solos.  This means playing the F blues scale (not the C blues scale) when you hit the IV chord in a C blues. I find this particularly useful in bar 10 of a C blues--as long as you resolve on a C!

[jasonricci]

I don't know about that!!! This was Hard! judge for yourself My video uploading as I type. i think I failed pretty much you judge...I'll post it as a video response when it's done.

j

[miloesskater]

Great Challenge Adam, I'll try some stuff with my F harp. Your all going Doooooowwnnnnn! lol. Go Bears!!!!

[darkdave25]

Amazing

[trottleskeeze]

Adam, you've mentioned Greg Zlap...I really enjoy his song "Pour Alice" with a low harp. Especially his great "rythmic vibrtato". Great chalenge despite it's a little tricky for my level but I 'm going to try and it 's good because my F harp is still "a 10th virgin"....

[Bennognome]

and im of course talking about 10 hole diatonic harmonicas

[Bennognome]

A harmonica question:

I got a D hohner pro harp right now, and im learning to bend on it.

will it better/easier to bend if i buy a A or G harmonica?

And is there any BIG diffence on a hohner pro harp and a hohner blues harp?

Quite "noob" questions, but i'd like to know this :)

[Mazblues]

the lower the harp the easier bending would be. at least that's what's commonly believed.

hence A or G would be better indeed, but what's even more important from my viewpoint:

don't use a too expensive harp for learning bends because you surely will blow it out pretty soon as you will draw too hard in the beginning!

[Bennognome]

Okay, thanks alot mazblues.

helps me alot :)

[jrring]

He makes a point, but I would recommend learning to bend on a D. Because when you get it down and master the bends on a D harp, think about how much easier and fluid it will be to move down to the lower harps.

Where in contrast, if you learn bends on an A or G, when you have to move up to a D or higher, you're gonna have to practice at those bends to hit them just right.

But yeah. Practice the bends on a cheaper harp. I've got a marine band C that I practice everything on (bends, mods, etc)

[jasonricci]

Dude! Great CHALLENGE Nut what about Everytime I go to the 4 chord??? in cross...How does that not count...Check out my slow blues like The Way I hurt myself in C. I'm going to up load a video now just in case it dosen't count of pure 1st on an e harp....but when I go to the 5 am I aloud to treat it like cross or is that cheating....Do you hear my point here?.

[KudzuRunner]

Great point. That sorta counts. IV chord on an F harp when you're playing a blues in C. But I'm talking about actually recording a whole tune in the key of F, playing it on an F harp. That's the next stage....and if ANYBODY out there could or should be doing this--including playing blow bends on holes 8, 9, and 10 on that F harp, first position--it's you. Thanks for rising to the challenge!

[toamille]

IT has been thrown' down. I will see what my chops have got.