What keys should I be able to blow bend?
From a practical playing standpoint, what keys should I be able to blow bend? I would think that an A harmonica would be the upper limit for practical purposes. Anything above that would probably be too shrill (and really difficult to accurately hit).
If I can master the blow bends up to an A, should I be satisfied with that?
Thanks, Dave. How much accuracy should I have with the 10+' (half step) bend? Is this ever used in a musical context? In other words, if I can only go from 10+ to 10+", would that be a major problem?
What songs do you recommend to solidify my blow bends? Obviously, "Blowing the Blues", but how about entry level, non-Dave Barrett songs?
The B is commonly used to slide down from the C to the Bb, or in reverse from the Bb to the C, so it's a chromatic passing tone. It's not used that much, but something worth working on so that someday you can slip and slide like Mitch Kashmar and Kim Wilson can do up there.
I don't think entry-level 1st position blow bending songs really exist (2nd position blow bending is not common), but Jimmy Reed's songs are as close as you're going to get.
In Bending Study 6 (Blow Bending), you mention in the "Final Words" that you'll be posting a Bending Study 7 where you show blow bending in 2nd position. All of your subsequent Bending Studies are actually Ross Garren overblow/overbending studies.
Do you still intend on releasing this 2nd position blow bend material?
I did write a song, recorded it... hated it. Focusing on blow bending for 2nd Position over an entire song just doesn't work. Experiment with using some blow bends on the IV7 Chord (Bars 5 and 6 primarily), but don't stay there too long or you're tonicize C, making your transition back to G in Bar 7 sound strange.
Thanks, David.
In your first position studies, you mentioned how first position doesn't traverse the harmonica well. There's that dead zone in the middle. Do you think I could use some 2nd position ideas in the IV chord to bridge that gap?
For example, the band is in G. I am playing a G harp in 1st position.
On bars 1-4, I can play some first position ideas on the low end. When I get to bars 5-6, the band goes to C and I can play some second position ideas that will take me up to holes 6 or 7 (maybe a blues scale going up, even). Then, when the band goes back to the I chord, I can resume playing in first position up on the high end.
Does this make sense?
Key of C on a G harmonica is 12th position so your second position licks won't work over the IV chord in bars 5 and 6.
You can play your second position licks over the V chord in bar 9.
Thanks. You're right. I got mixed up.
So I could theoretically play some 1st position stuff in bars 1-8, play a 2nd position idea over the V to transition me up to the high end, and then continue on the high end.
Yes, that is a good idea. And if you're really slick, try some F A C Eb notes when the IV7 comes in bar 10 as you're moving up, leading to the C in the I7 in bar 11.
Afternoon Marc. G and A Harmonicas are most common, but I find that I use blows bends commonly up to a C Harmonica.