Mark Humell
Retro Active CD "Funky Way" Key and position, my Friend....Thanks
Harp Key is Medium.
Band is in B flat: Ist Position: B Flat Harmonica
2nd Position : F Harmonica
3rd Position : C Harmonica
First note is a draw note, starting in the low octave...
He is playing the 5th and the 6th of the D Dorian Scale with some embellishment; sounds kind of like he is allowing the Root Note, D, to bleed in somewhat...and, I believe he is coming up underneath the note with a strong vibrato..
Mark is playing in 3rd position using a C Harp....
....My guess
OK, you're half way there. You're right that it's third position. But if you try it on a C harp, you may get bizarre results. (as you note, 3rd position on a C harp is D, but the tune is in Bb, not in D.)
When you know the key of the harmonica and want to know what key you'll get in second and third positions, you move clockwise on the circle of fifths. So if you had a Bb-harp, you'd get Bb, F, and C as the keys you'd get in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions on that harp.
But that's not what you're dealing with.
Instead, you know the key of the tune (not the harp). So to find out which harps you'd use for 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, you'd move *counter* clockwise on the circle of fifths.
So now what harps do you need to play at tune that's in the key of Bb in those positions?
So, the band is playing in B flat>>>1st position is B flat ...2nd position F...3rd position G
I am having trouble with this flat and sharps
that last attempt aint right either
A flat E flat B flat so hes playing in 3rd pos with an A flat harp
Now you've got it. Got an A-flat harp? Try it out and see what happens.
Thanks, I needed that!!!
Tune is in Bb.
But you know what? That's all I'm going to give away so easy.
Instead I'm going to ask some questions. If you listen carefully and answer the questions, you'll be able to figure it out on your own.
First off, does the harp sound like it's low, medium, or high pitched?
Second, what keys of harp would play the key of Bb in first, second, and third positions? And for each of those harp keys, which ones are low, medium or high pitched?
By the way, do you own all of those keys? (hint - why not try them out against the track and see which one sounds most like what Mark is playing?)
Third, does the first note he plays sound like a draw note or a blow note? (range and bendability will help with this.)
Fourth, does the first note sound like it's in the middle part of the harp's range, the lowest part, or the highest part? (hint: Where does he go in the next several notes - up, down, etc.)?
Answering these questions through logic, listening, and experimenting will lead you to the answer.
That said, Mark is playing some tricky stuff here and there and it may take you some effort to figure out exactly what he's doing and to develop the speed and bending facility to reproduce it.
I'm curious to know what you come up with.