Hello Bob,,nice video,,its great you can work by your self on the guitars to get them better..
Can you explain what cross playing is on the harmonica??
Willem
IGC Video Report by Bob Schembre
Hey Willem - sure, cross playing is something I'm not good at ... yet ...
. Basically its using a diatonic harp tuned in one key to play in another. Blues players do it all the time. If you look at the notes of a diatonic harp, say in the key of C, you'll notice all the draw notes (inhale) also happen to fall in the key of G. So a blues player playing a song in G, may choose to play it using a C harp and draw on the notes. Drawing on a note loans itself to bending the note, which is more of a bluesy sound. IMHO its a little harder to do with a harp rack around your neck, so you don't see Dylan and Young doing it that much. If you can use your hands for vibrato and position your mouth better for bends, it sounds nice; hence the difficulty in just blowing in to a rack-mounted harp. There's lots of youtube instruction on it ... another bucklist item for me!
Cheers,
Bob

Cheers,
Bob
schembre wrote:
Thank you very much,,now I understand,,super information,,I know they do it in the bleus,,
Are it only draw notes?? draw and bending and then hit the right note thats some ear training,,,,I love Sony boy Williams..and a bunch more...I have tryed it for a while..great instrument...
Working on JT eh,,,me too..goodluck
Willem
Hey Willem - sure, cross playing is something I'm not good at ... yet .... Basically its using a diatonic harp tuned in one key to play in another. Blues players do it all the time. If you look at the notes of a diatonic harp, say in the key of C, you'll notice all the draw notes (inhale) also happen to fall in the key of G. So a blues player playing a song in G, may choose to play it using a C harp and draw on the notes. Drawing on a note loans itself to bending the note, which is more of a bluesy sound. IMHO its a little harder to do with a harp rack around your neck, so you don't see Dylan and Young doing it that much. If you can use your hands for vibrato and position your mouth better for bends, it sounds nice; hence the difficulty in just blowing in to a rack-mounted harp. There's lots of youtube instruction on it ... another bucklist item for me!
Cheers,
Bob
Thank you very much,,now I understand,,super information,,I know they do it in the bleus,,
Are it only draw notes?? draw and bending and then hit the right note thats some ear training,,,,I love Sony boy Williams..and a bunch more...I have tryed it for a while..great instrument...
Working on JT eh,,,me too..goodluck
Willem
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Bob
Thanks for the heads up on saddles and guitar chat.
I've seen Macdiges videos before and he's an interesting guy.
I was also interested to read your response to Willem regarding Cross Playing.
Not that I've played a harmonica but thought about it, then opted to concentrate on guitar.
Everything is only straight forward on the surface, so it would only be a distraction at this time for me.
Hopefully we hear some guitar and harp from you in the near future?
It's amazing the detail Neil put's into his lessons and as I progress become even more aware when going back over lessons I've looked at earlier along with FOTW's and reviews.
I like the recent lessons Vanessa has done too also Hector Garcia's
All which set a high standard to strive for as much as possible.
Here's the link I found, thanks Dermot.
Hot Strings Guitar Shop
:cheer: :cheer:
Thanks for the heads up on saddles and guitar chat.
I've seen Macdiges videos before and he's an interesting guy.
I was also interested to read your response to Willem regarding Cross Playing.
Not that I've played a harmonica but thought about it, then opted to concentrate on guitar.
Everything is only straight forward on the surface, so it would only be a distraction at this time for me.
Hopefully we hear some guitar and harp from you in the near future?
It's amazing the detail Neil put's into his lessons and as I progress become even more aware when going back over lessons I've looked at earlier along with FOTW's and reviews.
I like the recent lessons Vanessa has done too also Hector Garcia's
All which set a high standard to strive for as much as possible.
Here's the link I found, thanks Dermot.
Hot Strings Guitar Shop
:cheer: :cheer:
Just to add a bit of information I have been able to absorb on cross playing a harp ...
One of the nice things about cross playing (I've generally heard it called 2nd position) is that it gives you the dominant 7th (the Bb if the song is in the key of C, you would be using an F harp), which is the note added to a Major chord to make it a 7th. If you look at a circle of fifths diagram, 2nd position is always one step counter-clockwise to the key the song is in (3rd position is two steps, 4th position is 3 steps, and of course, 1st position is the same harp key as song key). I don't know much about playing in 3rd or 4th position, but since I have heard it being referenced, I suspect there must be some reason to do it.
In first position the harp is always set up so that all the blow holes are part of the Major triad (C E G C E G C E G C), making it very difficult not to play the root major chord if you want to, and holes 4 - 7 contain the full range of notes in the key (although to make the C available as a blow on the 7th hole it messes with the pattern, the B is the draw above shown below).
draw - D F A B
blow - C E G C
And that is pretty much where the theory I know ends. In practice, it is hard to play a solo that sounds out of key using either 1st or 2nd position, but if you need to play exactly what the song calls for, you generally need the right harp.
Now if only I had the coordination to play the guitar and harp at the same time.
-- Tom G.
One of the nice things about cross playing (I've generally heard it called 2nd position) is that it gives you the dominant 7th (the Bb if the song is in the key of C, you would be using an F harp), which is the note added to a Major chord to make it a 7th. If you look at a circle of fifths diagram, 2nd position is always one step counter-clockwise to the key the song is in (3rd position is two steps, 4th position is 3 steps, and of course, 1st position is the same harp key as song key). I don't know much about playing in 3rd or 4th position, but since I have heard it being referenced, I suspect there must be some reason to do it.
In first position the harp is always set up so that all the blow holes are part of the Major triad (C E G C E G C E G C), making it very difficult not to play the root major chord if you want to, and holes 4 - 7 contain the full range of notes in the key (although to make the C available as a blow on the 7th hole it messes with the pattern, the B is the draw above shown below).
draw - D F A B
blow - C E G C
And that is pretty much where the theory I know ends. In practice, it is hard to play a solo that sounds out of key using either 1st or 2nd position, but if you need to play exactly what the song calls for, you generally need the right harp.
Now if only I had the coordination to play the guitar and harp at the same time.

-- Tom G.
OK, my first reply got lost - so here goes again, only shorter ... arrgghhh!!!! Thanks Tom, for jumping in - great info. I would add for Willem's question that you will have to blow as well for second position. In Tom's example of a C harp, the blow holes are CEGCEGCEGC - so you see there are notes from the G scale in there. But note that the draw holes are DGBDFABDFA - those are the notes to the G Dominant Pentatonic scale. If you've ever tried to play an entire song with only drawing you know you'll likely pass out for lack of air - so blow where you can! I find it is primarily an "ear" thing to figure out then add a bit of note theory. If you ever analyze Dylan's harp playing you'll see there's no rhyme nor reason to what he plays ... I find Love Me Do to be a simple cross harp song, if you want something to start with.
Look at Harptabs dot com.
Tom - check out GeorgeGoodman dot com for some free lessons in harp & guitar together.
Got to run,
Bob
Look at Harptabs dot com.
Tom - check out GeorgeGoodman dot com for some free lessons in harp & guitar together.
Got to run,
Bob
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Hi Bob,
Just checking in here. Needed my harmonica player for the Dylan !
See you next year
Andy
Just checking in here. Needed my harmonica player for the Dylan !
See you next year
Andy