Looking for Recordings in Key of E
Does anyone have a list of blues recordings in the key of E (using an A tuned harp)? I would love to learn licks from the greats or just play along. Even a list of recordings in their respective keys would be really helpful. Thanks!
Thank you for the tips! I will definitely check out all of your suggestions including David's list. I will let you know what I find as my favorites.
grebnesor_1: Of course, you know that E is known in the blues world as "The People's Key." Most likely due to the standard tuning of the guitar and bass. E.g., the bass' lowest string is an E. Call out a tune in Eb and see what sort of look the bass player gives you. But on the harp end, I suspect that one reason David favors study songs using an A in 2nd position, i.e, key of E, is that the A harp is in many ways the "Goldilocks" harp. Not too high, not too low, not too hard to bend, not too easy to bend, etc., but JUST RIGHT.
A great place to start is the blues standards list David posted back in 2017, at https://www.bluesharmonica.com/blues_standards_list Out of 56 songs, 11 are in E. But:
Is an A harp the only one you have? If you find any blues tunes in B-natural (rare, and none on David's list), you can also start to play around with 3rd position on your A harp; but:
Do you have the Amazing Slow Downer app? If not, it's a great tool (and not very expensive) to download, move recordings into, and alter keys so you can play along on the harp you're most comfortable with. (It's also a fabulous practice tool, that you can use to slow down the tempo to play along until your speed increases, and to repeat short parts of a song as you learn the most challenging parts.)
Let us all know what tunes end up as your favorites in E. E.g., nearly everyone does "Got My Mojo Working" in E (tho' Ann Cole's original recording is in a different key).