tookatooka
129 posts
Feb 23, 2009
7:31 AM
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I know this is not Blues related but it is still about learning to be more versatile with the instrument.
A short while ago germanharpists, put up some links to a German harmonica player named Michael Hirte who had become famous in a talent show in that country.
Like a lot of us (I presume) I watched the YouYube of him playing Ave Maria and thought it was quite pleasant and nothing more.
However, I have wanted to play that tune for ages and found a tab of his version on Harponline. The tab was next to useless and simply didn't fit in with what he was playing at all. It starts on a blow 7 on an A harp and I thought it would be a piece of cake to work it out for myself.
I have had a hell of a job trying to work out and play this piece and I can't for love of Mike work out why. I wondered whether it was because it's played in the upper notes where the note positions are reversed after draw 6.
It made me think I ought to go back to basics and try to use more of the harp than just the first six holes.
If anyone out there can point ot a tab which starts on blow 7 I'd be obliged. I 've scoured the web and can't find one other than the poor effort on Harponline.
In the meantime, I feel I have just been knocked back by about a year. What I thought was so easy has turned out to be quite difficult and my confidence has been temporarily shattered.
I was wondering whether anything like this may have happened to you.
When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2009 7:32 AM
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Preston
148 posts
Feb 23, 2009
9:21 AM
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Here's what I would do: I typed the name of the song and added "sheet Music" after the name in the google search bar and found a website. Here's the link:
http://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=852
I would set down and transcribe this to harp tab and then you can work it out anyway you want. You can decide where to start at on the harp, and you can decide what position to play it in that works best for the song and/or what works best for you.
I don't know what your background in music is, but I have none. I can't read music worth a lick, but I can set down with my cheat sheet and tab this out.
Evergy Good Boy Does Fine and FACE will give you the notes, then it is up to you to figure out where those notes are on the harp. There are diagrams all over the net! This is the method I used when I wanted to learn the Star Spangled Banner and Auld Lang Sine. I am also currently undertaking the task of learning notes of Fur Elise played by the right hand on piano. I found it works better in third position than cross harp. And the banner works better in first position than crossharp, so it's kindof trial and error. Be prepared to spend some time on this, but if it is something you are really interested in, it won't be work, it will be fulfilling.
I hope this helps you.
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tookatooka
130 posts
Feb 23, 2009
10:07 AM
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Thanks Preston. I've downloaded the pdf and will give it a go.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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mr_so&so
39 posts
Feb 23, 2009
10:18 AM
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Tooka, if it starts on 7b it may be in first position, for what it's worth. You might also try my "cheat sheet", with harmonica-tabbed scales and enough music theory to get you going on tabbing out your own stuff. I hope this helps too.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2009 10:21 AM
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Blackbird
45 posts
Feb 23, 2009
10:38 AM
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7 blow on an A harp, being the A note, you can drop to lower pitch by starting on 4 blow, or consider trying it cross with a D harp starting on the 2 draw. It may be easier to find the notes there by using mostly draws. And definitely more expressive in 2nd position.
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Aussiesucker
151 posts
Feb 23, 2009
12:36 PM
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Tookatoota- the tabs given at Harptabs I think are probably accurate. I dont follow tabs really well but the tune fits perfect played starting with the 5 draw & that I think puts it in the 12th position. Using an A harp that would put it in the key of D. If you wanted to play along in the same key as Michael you would use an E harp.
For me I have to learn a tune off by heart so I downloaded a track of Pavarotti singing it in Latin. I also downloaded the Latin words. I find now by just looking at and following the words I have no trouble with the tune. What might help is that I'm an old (lapsed)Catholic boy & it is a tune that we learnt in Latin at school.
The upper octave pos 1 on an A harp is indeed the way Michael Hirte plays it and this is also fairly simple. But I believe the use of 12th pos with more emphasis on draw notes puts more melody, feeling and emotion into the tune.
I agree with you about'going back to basics'. For me the only thing I knew for 50 yrs was 1st pos and learning 2nd pos was a real struggle ie it felt like I was playing the harp back to front. I guess the problem for many would be in reverse?
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tookatooka
131 posts
Feb 23, 2009
1:14 PM
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Thanks fellas, gonna need to do a bit of work on this one. It's weird, I thought I was getting on so well and everything just fell apart. I can't understand why I just get a complete mental block on this one. We shall overcome.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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mickil
45 posts
Feb 23, 2009
2:02 PM
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tookax2,
I just had a look at Harponline and that PDF. You're not the one who should be having a chrisis of confidence; it's the person who wrote the article at HO.
It doesn't start on 7 blow, that's a mistake; it starts on 8 blow. I'm absolutely sure of it, at least if it's played in 1st position. Only trouble is, in that octave some of the higher notes on the PDF aren't on the harp.
Apart from that, what's on the PDF is all straightforward 1st position playing, but with these exceptions:
bar 14 - first note: 9 blow bend
bar 22 - first note: 10 blow half-step bend
bar 27 - second note: 8 blow bend
bar 32 - that first note in that octave is NOT on any 10 hole diatonic, whether it was made by Joe Filisko, God or anyone else. Second note is that 10 blow half-step bend again.
bar 34 - same thing: that nut-chrunchingly high note just ain't on a harp
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2009 2:23 PM
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tookatooka
132 posts
Feb 23, 2009
2:36 PM
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Thanks for that mickil. I gathered something wasn't right with the tab but I can't read music so I wouldn't have been able to recognise how poor it was. Thanks for putting me out of my misery. I'm going to try and re-write a slightly simpler version for my own entertainment. Thanks again.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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Aussiesucker
152 posts
Feb 23, 2009
2:44 PM
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Don't agree ie in 1st position it certainly does start on 7 blow.
7B 7D 7B 8B 8D 7B
A ve Ma r i a
the rest for me just follows, but as said previously I think it sounds so much better played starting on 5D ie in 12th pos. Better on a D harp played in G
5D 5B 5D 6D 6B 5D
A ve Ma r i a
Must be a lot of top players out there who can put us straight?
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2009 2:45 PM
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tookatooka
133 posts
Feb 23, 2009
2:48 PM
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If I come unstuck with the 7 blow version, I'll go with the 5 draw version Aussie. It's just that the 7 blow on an A harp sounds more flutelike. I only have C and A. Thanks.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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mickil
46 posts
Feb 23, 2009
3:49 PM
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Aussiesucker, you're right and so am I. What I did was look at the PDF and go through it note by note. The first note in the melody, which is written in C, is E, the major 3rd of that scale. I took it from there. Your version starts on the root then, after a couple of decorative notes, goes up to the 3rd, or 8 blow. The main thing is that tookax2 knows he ain't going crazy.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2009 4:02 PM
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