Minor Tuned Harp
Sat, 09/21/2013 - 11:45
Does anyone know if its much easier to play in minor keys on a harp already tuned that way verses a major harp in 3rd position?
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The natural minor harp gives you a pure minor scale - and the minor I, IV, and V chord - in second position. You just take what you already know from playing second position and transfer it to the minor harp. Presto, it call comes out in a minor key.
That's the idea at least, and yeah, it works.
Third position, on the other hand, is different from second, and to get some important notes in the lower holes you have to play deep bends in Holes 2 and 3. Also, two of the notes (Draw 3 and Draw 7) don't fit the pure natural minor scale, so they can sound sour if you play them at the wrong time in the chord progression (over the IV chord if it's a minor chord).
Yet most blues players will choose third position over a minor tuned harp.
Are they just cheap and don't want to buy (and lug around) a second set of harps in minor keys? Maybe.
Do they feel that it's cheating and unmanly to buy special harps for minor keys? Maybe.
Do they like the more exotic sound they can get in third position that they don't get on a minor tuned harp?
Maybe.
You could buy one minor tuned harp and play it in second position, and also try third. Then make your own choices.
TIP: Lee Oskar and Seydel label their natural minor harps in second position, so to play in A minor, you'd buy an A natural minor harp. Hohner, however, labels the same harp in first position, so you'd buy a D natural minor and play it in A minor. Same harp, same tuning. Just different ways of labeling it.