Accompanying banjo
Hi, does anyone here play to accompany themselves on bonjo? I`ve just started 5 string banjo and I can`t sing to save my life so would really like to learn to play along with harmonica. I play 3 finger style, mainly bluegrass, swing, folk, oldtime etc so not sure whether blues harp is the best discipline. I`d like to start with learning the fundamentals anyway but don`t want to head out in completely the wrong direction if it`s going to make problems for me later. I`m totally new to harmonica , not sure about keys etc so any advice at all would be massively appreciated. Thanks all
Banjo and harmonica is a fairly unusual combination. Nothing wrong with it; but not many people have done it.
Pegram and Parham is one such duo, however. Banjoist George Pegram and harmonica player Walter "Red" Parham made an album in 1957 for jazz label (!) Riverside, in addition to makin a handful of other recordings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr5RLWecLwc
Sometimes Parham plays in first position - in the same key as the harmonica, and sometimes in second position (a key five scale steps up from the key of the harmonica, sucha s playing in G on a C harmonica). Additionall, minor keys can benefit from playing in third position (one step up from the harp key, such as D on a C harp).
Basic harmonica technique is the same for most roots music; the difference is in how it's applied to a style. That said, there's some overlap between pre-war rural southern blues and old time, bluegrass, and country. Artists scuh as Henry Whitter, De Ford Bailey, Sonny Terry and several others are worth listening to for you.
Country harmonica player Charlie McCoy has also recorded with Flatt and Scruggs, while Roy Acuff had both Jimmy Riddle and Onie Wheeler in his band, and in the direction of hillbilly boogie, Wayne Raney and Lonnie Glosson are worthies, both under their own names and with the Demore Brothers. Doc Watson, known mainly as a singer-guitarist, also played rack harmonica on some songs.
Jug Band music is another style in which harmonica was featured strongly and which has roots in common with blegrass and old-time. The Memphis Jug Band, featuring Will Shade on harmonica, Cannon's Jug Stompers featuring Noah Lewis, and Jed Davenport.
The lessons here are mostly in the key of A. there are some in the key of c but get an A harp man! Personally I recommend you get a hohner special 20 in the key of A. Anything lower in quality I've ever bought is sitting in my 'learn to customize' box hahaha.
As for the banjo I'm no expert but I don't think there's a problem. The harp sounds great (to me) in anything that has a swing or bluesy feel to it. Some guys play it with rock and some do classical but those aren't my thing so I can't comment on that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRb4ZX5K8TE <--- sounds pretty good to me