Key of Harmonica???

[iang2k]

Does anyone know what key G Love's harmonica is on "Rainbow Song"? The song is in C, is the harmonica in the same key?

[undercoverlover]

sorry i do not know, i have been told he usually is in the key of "g" ( don't quote me on that) but i do love the s*** ou tof that song


what is garrettsay-n- at the beginig, after his lil count down he goes


"1-2-?-?"

[Jaykob]

When I try to match harmonica tones I can usually get it in C. At least that is what mine is. More of a guitar guy myself. It's been a loooooooongnight though. Drunkin' happiness to all!


Peace!

[SpecialJ]

G Love uses the key of F on rainbow....You can't do it in any other key, it won't work for that song

[jackyjo]

My buddy got a harmonica from G at the philly show... it was in the key of G, but for rainbow i would have no idea.

[deltariverblues]

Yo i'm almost positive he's usin a C harmonica in Rainbow, i've
tried it and it sounds fine. I know he uses a C in like 9-11-01
and Sara's Song.

[SpecialJ]

sorry delta river, but it's defnitely in F... youcan use the key of C, and it will fit in, but you won't be able to play g's part note for note, because he's playing in F. i am 100% positive of this.

[integritous]

for rookie harp players:

in case some of you didn't know this... With harps you usually play in two positions: First position and Second position. Second position is also known as Cross-harp or Blues harp... G plays crossharp almost all the time. To find out which key it is in second position, you take the major key that it is in and count up four steps. For example, for an A harmonica, you add four A...B...C...D...E... therefor, an A harmoica played in second position is in E. A ton of blues songs are in E, so to play along with harmoica, you play an A harp. It might sound confusing, but thats my fault.

To play in cross harp you play mostly the lower notes, on the left, focusing on a lot of the draw (suck in, as opposed to blowing) notes. There are a lot of riffs and key notes to hit, but dont worry about figuring out the specifics yet, just play around hitting some of the lower notes drawing.

Now you can play in first position on a blues song, but you wont be able to get all the right notes. It might sound okay, but it wont be note for note. For example, if you have a harps in G and C, you could play Neil Young's "Heart of Gold." Which sounds better is up to you. (A C harp played in second position is G)

Here's a simple key for finding which keys...
Key of song... Key of Harp to be played in second position:
A...E (KICK DRUM)
C...F (rainbow is a song in "C" that you play on an "F")
D...G
E...A
G...C

No one plays in B of F, so dont worry about them.

Listen to Dylan and Neil Young, they're pretty straigh forward players, in both first and second position.

Peace, Love, Monkey Business

Either way, you're going to either suck or blow, its up to you

[integritous]

my bad, they key is backwards, now the first thing is the key of the harp, the second key is that harp in second position
an
A harp in second position is E
C harp in second position is G
D harp in second position is A
E harp in second position is B
F harp in second position is C
G harp in second position is D

I must suck and blow, my bad guys

[G. Love]

Yo, this is G.


You are all right. You can play it with either F or C and I do both. the recording and TV performences were done with a C harp. Which is called straight position. Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Jimmy Reed prodominantly use straight position where as most blues is with cross harp. But you are right you are going to have to suck or blow. But no matter what keep on harping.

[PERRY]

I guess that answers that questin huh.

[undercoverlover]

holly sh*t! sneak attack from garrett, nice to know you care to help out

[badonk123]

Wow, so much harp knowledge being spread. I'm lovin' it. I actually just saw a euphoric performance by G at the TLA. It was my 6th time seein them and it was sheer musical bliss. Any how, i had noticed that G threw what appeared to be a harmonica out but it didn't look like anyone got it. I figured maybeI was just seein' things. But then, just before G played I-76...i happend to glance down at my feet and before me on the ground was a harmonica! I couldn't believe it! So i picked it up and I have it now in a safe place. I'm guessin' it has to be G's, it's in the key of G and has a little yellow sticker with "G" on it. It's a "Marine Band"-Hohner.


Recently i've been messin' around with playin' the harp and guitar, now i have a new found inspiration to keep on with it. And thanks for that harp wisdom that you all posted, it's a big help being that I've just been goin by what sounds good with my ears.

[iang2k]

G!


Thanks alot for responding to that, wow, its a huge help. I was thinkin about playing a rainbowand singing at an upcomingstudent talent show in our open forum area, its just kind of a chance for the students to show what kinda skills they got, very loosely organized. I read your post andknew what key to buy it in, i chose to do it in F though and play cross harp. I've been practicing alot and hope to do justice to the killer song.





THANKS AGAIN G! (You were dope at Langerado AND Jacksonville)Edited by: iang2k

[Monica*]

I love this forum!!!

[justinreid]

It's so freaking cool that Garrett actually reads/ responds on this forum. I love it too smileys/smiley4.gif
And I can't wait to see them play on April 15

[mattythedaddy]

Thanks Garrett!

[mumble]

smileys/smiley14.gif Edited by: mumble

[iang2k]

i think thats right mumble, thats what i was able to come up with the other day when i was trying tomorrow night out.

[JeffreyBongo]

so how do you know what harp to play with a guitar...i just picked up one the other day but im not sure what key sounds good with a guitar...like if your in standard tunning should you use 'x' key harmonica? i dont know how that works...


Bongo

[mumble]

i asked g ta toss me a harp sometime one night after a show instead of asking him outright for one for sure,
but then he quit throwin them out around my area...
well maybe i could have caught one at the mish but the little miss got too cold afer the hail and the first set finished we left to warm up and couldn't get back in which was a shame because...

anyway aside from all that rant you should go with the circle of fifths technique...


here's something interesting (http://www.crossharp.com/key_table.htm)
and something else (http://www.angelfire.com/tx/myquill/Harmonica.html)Edited by: mumble

[slidin]

Refer back to homie's post about what key to play in for what harp. From there it doesn't matter what your guitar is tuned to (standard, etc.). It matters what KEY you're playing in. I'm an amateur harp player and am still finding my way around them.

[JeffreyBongo]

Ok, so...Assuming I an in standard tunning...and i am playing a song that consists of chords: D, A, and G. What key am i in and what harp do i use...I do not understand exaclty what 'key' means...i have been playing for quite a while but i fall short on the technical stuff...


Bongo

[slidin]

I play by ear and have no clue about theory, key, etc. I just play and figure out what works. LOL Sorry. But as I mentioned there's a pretty good idea of things back on one of these pages....somewhere. But I'm guessing a C harp would work for those chords. Just don't take my input as anything to go by unless it's about guitars. hehe

[mumble]

yeah i play by ear too... because i began playing before i could read some two decades ago you know?
personally, i think, if your just beginning it's important to hone that sense though, most of music is in the fine tunes, the delicate tones in the resonating moments between the notes, so... that's just what i think though...

so how about guitars then slidin? i saw a plush dobro down there at the pawn shop recently

[slidin]

What brand of dobro? Was it a square neck or round? Great thing about resonators is that it's pretty easy and fairly inexpensive to upgrade. A bone nut, spider, and quarterman cone can all be done for around $200. That may seem like a lot but when you hear the difference it makes in the tone/volume/sustain you quickly realize that it's well worth the cabbage.





Funny you mention G tossing out harps at shows. At $25 a pop it's not like tossing out guitar picks. LOL Hopefully I'll get G to sign my harp case this week. Can't wait. I don't need a "G" harp just a little extra mojo on my harps. I'm a goober I know but every little bit helps.

[Bridge]

Any suggestions on how to help my sondevelop his skills. He is three. Right now I just let himplay and jama lot of G.L.A.S.S.Is it a simple as encouragment and enthusiasm

[mumble]

it was a fender & round... it was nice but i think i'll hold out for a Washburn ES10 or a Dean Dean and someday when i'm good i'll splurge on one of those Crafters of Tennesse Cali Resophonic's

G used to toss harps out a lot, maybe he put somebody's eye out and had to quit doing that j/k...
good luck with getting your case signed

& bridge it's cool your kid took an interest at such a young age, that's how old i was when i began, just keep encouraging him to stick with it throughout his life and he'll be glad you did

[slidin]

I'd hold out unless the price was rock bottom. Fender's aren't known for being all that great in the reso world. I've heard the Hound Dog is pretty good if you wanna look into it w/o dropping too much change.

[mumble]

i'm kind of partial to the california girl DM-33 those hound dogs are nice though for sure i need to finish school though first... day come soon enough

at least i'm done with my homework for the day so as i can go home pour manger a nap & a shower...

i wonder what kind of dobro Mr. Dutton Jr. got G when he turned 18... hmmm... Edited by: mumble

[integritous]

D-G-A is in the Key of "D." Try that.

So if you wanna play it bluesy, grab a "G" harp.

Check out harmonicalessons.com ... its easy and it'll tell you everything you need to know. easier than buying a book.

PS I'd love to have a Harmonica from G at a show! I've seen him throw them out, but I dont want anything to do with his slobber. nothing personal, but you never know where that mouth has been!