Definitions

Hello VinB.

For positions, there are two lessons to look at...

I recommend you start with https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/understanding_position_playing and then go to https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/music_theory_study_2_modes_positions (this one is Music Theory Study 2, so you may want to do the Study 1 beforehand).

Position playing can be a challenging subject to grasp. As a newer player, your goal is to have just a cursory understanding of it right now (no need to know it in-depth... taking what I say as fact)... you'll learn more about it, and it will become more important to you, in your intermediate studies.

The simple answer of positions...

For 1st Position (also known as Straight Harp), you're playing in the key of the harmonica. For example, you're using a C harmonica. You, and the other musicians, are in the key of C. This generally uses more blow notes. This is what the harmonica was built to do, and does it well for folk songs. As a player reaches the more advanced studies, they learn how to play 1st Position bluesy, but it requires a lot of honed technique.

For 2nd Position (also known as Cross Harp) you're playing in a key, based on the 5th of the key of the harmonica. You have a C harmonica in your hand, for example. Count up five in that key of C... C D E F G. You, and the other musicians, are playing in the key of G. We do this so that the notes of the main chord (the home chord... what we call the "one chord") in the key that we're playing in, is on the draw notes. The draw notes for the first six holes of the harmonica (the most common range we play in) are bendable (the blow are not). We like bends... they add a lot of expression to our playing and give us notes that would not otherwise be available with standard draws and blows on the harmonica. The majority of your playing (90%+) will be done in 2nd Position).

For 3rd Position, you're going up another 5th from 2nd Position... C D E F G, gives us G for 2nd... G A B C D, gives us D for 3rd Position. 3rd Position again uses more draws, and because of where it places you on the harmonica, it's a darker sound. 3rd Position can both play in major (light) and minor (dark), but tends to lean towards dark. You'll learn how to play in 3rd Position in your Level 7 studies.

Overbend is a term that encompasses both overblows and overdraws. With standard bending, we bend holes 1 through 6 draw and and 7 through 10 blow. With overbending, we bend holes 1 through 6 blow and 7 through 10 draws. You will learn standard bending in Bending Study 1. Overbends will be taught in bending study 7. If you would like to learn more about overbends, you can go to Bending Study 7 (https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/bending_study_7_overbending_inter...) and 8 (https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/bending_study_8_overbend_study_1_...)