Which key should my harp be?
Yeah hi David, new to the site really enjoying it so far. I've been listening to some Sonny Boy, Big Walter, George Smith, etc. and jamming with the tracks in the key of A but I've noticed quite a few songs are in E or F or F# etc. im not up to speed with theory and scales or keys, should I be playing a harp in the key of E to be jamming in an E 12bar or an F for 12 bar in F So on and so forth or can I use a harp thats in a key that is one of the notes within the scale of the first note, ie:- say a harp in A the 4 to play in E as the 1 or is that just not possible? Cause when I try to play in E with my A it sounds like shit, is that just me hitting bum notes or can it be done choosing specific notes in A that are also found in E?
i know it's a bit of a dumb shit question but if you could straighten me out here it would greatly appreciated
cheers mate
Hello Marcosis. Not a dumb question... this one is common. Yes, you're just hitting bum notes... but...
This is called position playing. To play an A harmonica in the key of A is 1st Position. 1st Position is a good position, but generally speaking, for the newer player, 1st position will be best for simple melodies without bending. To play blues in 1st position requires a lot of bending skill.
2nd Position is the most common position. Even with remedial bending, it offers a lot of cool options. This is playing your A harmonica in the key of E, as you stated. This is the most common position played by harmonica players (95% of blues playing is done in 2nd out there. The more advanced a player gets, the more position playing they explore).
3rd Position is also great, and is well-suited for minor playing (it's not exclusively minor, but it works well). This is playing your A harmonica in the key of B.
The keys of harmonica you'll use most often depends on the position(s) you play in. With this said, the most common set of harmonicas used are Low-F, G, A, Bb, C, and D.
I have a lesson to help you understand position playing, and it's found here https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/understanding_position_playing
After watching this lesson, let me know if you have any further questions.