F#m in 2nd position -- Harmonica selector tool question
Hi Kinya,
I've been wanting to mess around with the song Witness by Sarah McLachlan, which is in F#m. I've always thought that the guitar solo would sound great as done by a harp.
Am I understanding the harp selector tool (https://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/1a_-_harmo...) correctly that my E harp should work if I play in second position (F#m is the relative minor of A major)?
Thanks Rob! Is it possible to re-tune a harp so that F#m is in second position?
B on 2nd position is F#. To play in F#minor, just avoid the major 3rd (3 draw natural, 7 draw), replacing instead with the minor 3rd when possible (3 draw bent 1/2 step) or playing a different note.
You can also buy a natural minor tuned harp in B, which will have those notes flattened by 1/2 and allow you too play the minor chords and 3rds without the need of any bends.
Hello Matt, and thank you Mr. Rob!
"Witness" is a terrific song and Sarah sounds like an Angel on the recording.
I recommend that you purchase a Bm Harmonica. If you are feeling adventurous and you have a standard Richter tuned B harmonica in your case; this is what you do:
- Tune down one 1/2 step (one semi-tone) both the #2 and #5 and #8 BLOW reeds from the current D# to D. Adjust for 0 (zero) perfect pitch on your Chromatic Tuner
- Tune down one 1/2 step (on semi-tone), both the #3 and #7 DRAW reeds from the current A# to A. Adjust for 0 (zero) perfect pitch
No pressure or anything, but please send us a sound bite of you playing to this song!
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Awesome, thanks Kinya! Do you mean B natural minor, like this Lee Oskar on Schmamazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Oskar-Harmonica-Natural-Minor/dp/B0002H0RSQ/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=b+minor+harmonica&qid=1646687331&sprefix=b+minor+har%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-5
I found a Polaris with a comb style I prefer (I've fallen in love with the shape of the Golden Melody), but it is b harmonic minor...
My vote would be to purchase the LO B Natural Minor, then start making music!
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Matt: Read the info on Lee Oskar's site really carefully. His natural minor-tuned harmonicas are designed to play the branded key in second position, i.e., mostly draw notes. And he makes one in F# melodic minor. Which will play a Bm diminished scale in first position. If you already have an E major diatonic, before investing in another harmonica, check out David's third position lessons here and give that a try for the F#m tune. Essentially, if by straight notes or bending you can find these notes on any harmonica, you should be good: (Ascending): F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, F, F#; (Descending): F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E, F#. Experiment, and you might be surprised what keys and styles you can play along with, even if on any given diatonic you only have five or six notes that seem to work. But then again, knowing that you're really good working on small things in small enclosed spaces with powered tools, give re-tuning a try (after watching some of Kinya's great videos, of course!)
Good stuff Rob. Thank you!
Matt, now you have sooo many viable options. The key here (pun intended) your chosen, Lee Oskar B Natural Minor idea will be the least demanding on your bending skills.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Kinya:
Because I've heard your recordings, I know that you are an awesome player. So this doesn't apply to you. But for my part, I hope I'm not a member of the "Those who can play, play; those who can't ... instead argue about key signatures, positions and reed tunings" club!
So as to not be so cast, I'll refrain from suggesting that MattTheHall try using a Db major diantonic harp in 9th position. I'll leave that to one of the Howard Levy Fan Club members here on the Forum.
If you want to buy a Lee Oskar for this, you'll need to get an F# natural minor. Lee Oskar labels natural minor harps on their 2nd position key, not their 1st position (which is how they label their regular Richter-tuned harps).
If you get the Lee Oskar B natural minor, you'll play Bm in 2nd position, which is not what you want.
So to further complicate the discussion (if that's possible):
I took a look at some sheet music sources for "Witness," and they all show the song in B Major. I.e., five sharps.
But pop tunes can be a tad different from blues or jazz. E.g., while my ear is not all that well trained, it seems that by fixing on a B Major tonality, MacLachlan is actually using it as a V chord for the E Maj 7th she keeps coming back to, and is using the F# minor harmony as a sort of iv minor chord over C# that's sometimes used to get to a bridge that's a fouth above the tonic. Except that she uses that F#m a lot in the main theme as well.
So forgetting all that, earlier today I sat in the park listenting to the song on my phone, and playing along with fills and runs on my Low E harp. And nobody who walked by threw anything at me or yelled at me to shut up.
Which in the end, music theory or no music theory, is all that matters.
Thank you both Mr. Rob and Marquez. Good save on that Lee Oskar! I had forgotten Lee labels his harmonicas as a 2nd position instrument.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Hello Matt, we wanted to check in with you and learn of the direction you chose.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
MtH: With apologies for butting in ahead of Kinya, E harp in 3rd position should work just fine for an F#m tune. And yes, it's the relative minor of A major, so you might even be able to play 1st position stuff on an A harp. For contemporary pop songs, sometimes it's just a question of figuring out which notes to avoid, and everything else sounds great. (Send me an email if you have questions - see you soon.)