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Forums :: Tip of the Day

Magic of the Major Scale & Positions

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Fri, 05/11/2012 - 09:00
David Barrett Admin
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Head InstructorTeacher 10Level 10
Joined: 11/30/2009

The scale we've been focusing on is the Major Scale. Let's change our though process a little bit and think of it as a movement pattern, representing the next higher or lower note available to us on our instrument without bending (a technique unknown to the designer). With that said, let's go ahead and access the missing notes of the lower octave with bending.

This movement pattern is unchanged when we play in 2nd and 3rd Positions. Major (1st Position in our case) is just one of seven possible Modes used. Even though the Mode changes when we play the same scale in a different keys (e.i. positions), the result is still musical and is in fact a desired result... a base from which changes can be made, if so desired. Grab a jam track and play the following scales in the following keys, all with the C Harmonica.

C Harmonica in 1st Position - Use Jam Track in the Key of C (this is the scale we've been studying)
4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+

C Harmonica in 2nd Position - Use Jam Track in the Key of G (again, the same scale, just starting and ending on G)
2 3" 3 4+ 4 5+ 5 6+

C Harmonica in 3rd Position - Use Jam Track in the Key of D (again, the same scale, just starting and ending on D)
4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+ 8

So, in the end, this movement pattern (C Major Scale on a C Major Harmonica), is the most important pattern to learn on your harmonica.

Full Major Scale Reference
1+ 1 2+ 2" 2 3" 3 4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+ 8 8+ 9 9+ 10 10' 10+

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