harper
9 posts
Oct 30, 2008
5:03 AM
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I've read a lot of good things about Mickey Raphael, and I've really been getting into country music lately. I want to get a cd that features him prominently, but I'm not sure what to get. Are there any suggestions?
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Blackbird
2 posts
Oct 30, 2008
10:21 AM
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Mickey played a lot with Willie Nelson. You can hear him on the album "Stardust". Mickey also plays here and there with The Supersuckers, and/or Eddie Spaghetti. Eddie's album "The Sauce" has an alternate edition titled "Extra Sauce" in which Eddie confirms that Mickey gets his harp playing "all over it."
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oldwailer
293 posts
Oct 30, 2008
5:40 PM
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I've seen Willie in concert a couple of times--with Mickey Raphael. It's hard to say which album has the most harp--they all have harp almost all the time--but Raphael is the consummate tasteful player--he never really gets out there into your face much--but he's there a lot of the time adding to the music. He also sometimes plays one of those little accordion--I forget what they call them--a concertina?
I think "Georgia," on the Stardust album is my all-time favorite for harp--the solo is wonderful. Adam once said the solo was done with an F# harp--but Raphael, in an interview in the book "Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers," says
"Like on "Georgia on my Mind," which is in the key of C. I use a D Minor harp [Lee Oscar]--it's a natural minor scale--and I can play the melody line just the way Willie sings it, whereas on an F Marine Band, I'm really just playing licks along with the melody--to keep it simple."
So--I guess he's playing in third position?? I'm pretty new to this third position--help me, somebody. . .
Last Edited by on Oct 30, 2008 5:42 PM
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Aussiesucker
49 posts
Oct 30, 2008
6:44 PM
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Yeah I'm a real fan of Mickey Raphael and agree 100% with your comments Oldwailer. Tried "Georgia" on my Em LO Natural Minor - works great but looks like I'm going to have to invest in a Dm to get it sounding spot on. One of my favourite Willie Nelsons songs is 'Till I Gain Control Again' in C where I think the harps Mickey has used are F + a C Tremolo. This tune alone had me go out and buy a Suzuki C Tremolo. Simple stuff really but the harps the way Mickey plays really sets the mood. I can listen to Willie all day & with no disrespect to Willie I mostly only hear Mickey.
Yeah I think for Georgia its actually in 4th position as according to my LO leaflet the Dm harp plays key of C in the 4th Dominant position ie 5 draw being the root note.
Last Edited by on Oct 30, 2008 6:55 PM
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oldwailer
294 posts
Oct 30, 2008
7:20 PM
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SHHHHHH! Don't tell me about 4th position--it makes my head cave in--I'm still grappling with 3rd (and sometimes 2nd). . .
Seriously--thanks for the information--now I'll have to go figure out 4th position--I always wanted to play Georgia--and I already have a great version of it on guitar--wait--my version is in the key of D--so now I need an Em harp? wow, who'd have ever thunk this harp stuff could get so complicated?
Last Edited by on Oct 30, 2008 7:25 PM
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Aussiesucker
50 posts
Oct 30, 2008
7:53 PM
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Yeah! I struggle to get my head around the different positions. I think it's all a conspiracy by the harp manufacturers to confuse us into buying more & more harps when I should be learning how to play properly all the harps I already have. It's even more confusing with the LOs when they are labeled in cross harp key. Now Oldwailer you have confused me as I already have an Em harp which plays D in 4th position. Confused me good as it looks like I don't have to now buy a Dm? I can get Georgia sounding really good on the Em but somewhere along the way, well into it, I lapse into first position playing, which doesnt work on the Em, and stuff it up ie ie have to keep practicing.
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oldwailer
297 posts
Nov 01, 2008
1:40 AM
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If I confused you, Aussie, it's just because I am confused, but I think I finally got it figured out--
In 4th position:
The Dm harp plays Cm
The Em harp plays Dm
The main thing that spins my brain is that Lee Oskar decided to help us all out by changing the rules in naming his minor harps--the Dm is really an Am--and the Em is really a Bm--if we used the straight names for them--like all the rest of our harps are named.
Anyway--I'm glad I wrestled with this--let me know if I'm still wrong--but I have Dm harp--I just got confused and thought it was an Am harp--because that's how I use it in cross position. . .
Last Edited by on Nov 01, 2008 1:44 AM
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Aussiesucker
52 posts
Nov 04, 2008
7:09 PM
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Yeah Oldwailer think we both got it right. My only confusion is that I have a couple of versions of Willie Nelson playing Georgia and as near as I can make out Mickey would be playing an F harp in key of C? Still I love the version I can produce in Dm(4th pos) on my Em harp.
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Blind Melon
13 posts
Nov 05, 2008
9:23 AM
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You might want to check out Mickey's cd "Red River Valley".
http://www.cumberlandmusic.com/western/red_river_valley.php
It is more western and folk than country. The cd includes the key of harp for each song. The songs are pretty simple but they sound great.
I picked up this cd at a Cracker Barrel restaurant a couple years ago.
Last Edited by on Nov 05, 2008 9:23 AM
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