Db and Ab harps and Sax
I never thought I would need these two keys of harmonicas, but I'm really starting to love them for jump blues stuff.
An Ab harp plays in Eb in the 2nd position which is the same tuning as an alto sax. It also plays in Bb in the 3rd position which is the same tuning as a tenor sax. A Db harp also plays in Eb if you play it in the 3rd position (alto sax). So, if you REALLY want that sax sound imitation, you should have these two less common harps in your arsenal.
So to sum up:
Ab harmonica in 2nd position= Eb= alto sax
Ab harmonica in 3rd position= Bb= tenor sax
Db harmonica in 3rd position=Eb alto sax
I'm sure this is old news for most people but it was an "ah-ha" moment for me, I wanted to share. Btw, Dennis Gruenling seems to do a lot more songs in Bb and Eb than most players...
Try an Ab in 3rd. Check out 3rd Position Study 4 Blowin' My Horn and listen to how much it sounds like a tenor. .
Yeah I think the main riff will work ok, I'll check it out later today. With chameleon I think the tricky thing is gonna be that breakdown at 3'23"...that's about where we'll end it for now...(Herbie Hancock and the gang are just ready to get started at that point, but I think we'll give it a miss ;0)) so yeah we're trying to get bass harp and guitar to play it in unison...I think there's an octave down jump though...this could work in third much better than second though...
Tricky...wonder if I can get that 4 draw, 4 blow, 3 draw whole step, 4 blow 4 draw lick as slick as its equivalent on the Eb. This also looks doable on the chrom with button in.
Interesting. I've been using an Eb to play a Bb sax part (chameleon). It's cool but now I'm gonna check out how it lays in 3rd...the Eb is pretty high. Even if I could change harps in the song it could be cool. Thanks for the thought!