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Subject: "Finding the key..." Archived thread - Read only
 
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Conferences Advanced Topics & Chromatic Harmonica Topic #37
Reading Topic #37
Gren
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May-28-03, 05:42 PM (PST)
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"Finding the key..."
 
   How do you figure out what key you need to play in if you're jamming with a guitarist. Are there certain chords to look for or something? Seeing as none of my friends that I ask know about keys, I must come to you guys for the answer. All they say is, "Key? What is that? All I do is learn songs from tab sites. Just play notes I guess... I don't know."

So, anyone know?


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Harpdog
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May-28-03, 07:15 PM (PST)
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1. "RE: Finding the key..."
In response to message #0
 
   Most songs are made up of a minimum three chords...the tonic, subdominant and dominant 7th. The tonic chord is usually the same as the key of the song. For instance, in the key of E, a favourite for the blues, the tonic is the E chord, the subdominant is the A chord and the dominant 7th is the B7 chord. The tonic chord usually is the chord used for the first four bars of a twelve bar blues. Hope this helps.


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bluzharper
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May-30-03, 08:18 AM (PST)
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2. "RE: Finding the key..."
In response to message #1
 
  
Gren,
Another problem you might run into with guitar players at that level is tuning. If they are not using a tuner, or tuning to an internet program, the choice of harp can become futile. The chord that usually starts the song is the Key, unless they start from the five, or turn around. I would highly recommend jamming to Instructional CD's or your favorite Blues CD's. From them you can learn the changes, chord changes that is, and get the feel of how the music flows. Guitar players seem to run the gamut from tuning to a flat, like SRV and Hendrix did, to a Drop D tuning, to D tuning for slide guitar. Confusing, yes but hang in there and enjoy. This will all come to ya. Best to Ya ...........bluz

Keep the questions coming, we love this stuff.


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SeldomSeen
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May-30-03, 05:49 PM (PST)
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3. "RE: Finding the key..."
In response to message #0
 
   If in doubt, I watch the guitarist's fingers. I know just enough guitar to tell what the fingering patterns look like (the G chord looks something like the universal hand signal given on freeways everywhere, for example).

You can also, if you have the ear for it, pick out a certain note from the song and lock into that. I can usually "hear" the V note fairly quickly; then I'll grab a harp and, off the mic, hit a fast 1 draw. If it matches, I'm in.

Then, you can always ask. Or, if the guitarist is hip to working with harp players, he'll tell you what key he's working in. (Some will try to be extra helpful here: "I'm in G, so get your C harp." Great intentions, but since I already made the conversion in my head, that's a fast way to screw me up.)


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