Harmonica Harmonies - Mel Bay's Harmonica Sessions

Harmonica Harmonies
By David Barrett, Mel Bay’s HarmonicaSessions® eZine
December 2008
One of the great joys of performing with another harmonica player is to play horn lines, or Harmonica
Harmonies. This article will introduce you to this art.
Matching the Chord
The basics of playing in harmony with another instrument is that each player chooses a different note of
the chord to play. On the harmonica it can be as simple as just playing the next highest or lowest hole.
Though this works in some cases, it doesn’t take into account the slight changes that you need to make
to match each of the three chords you’ll encounter while playing over the twelve bar blues progression.
Written below are the hole numbers that you can choose from to match each of the chords found in the
twelve bar blues progression.
Ex. 1
If you’re on the I Chord (One Chord), any of the notes (hole numbers) listed above for that chord will
work. Our example below uses the 2 draw for all of the chord changes. The general goal is to play as
slick as possible… making the smallest amount of change as possible between chord changes.
This rule also applies when playing with another harp player; you want to keep in your range as much as
possible so that you don’t both unintentionally play the same note at some point. Playing the same note
will immediately destroy the harmony, since none will exist if you’re both playing the same pitch.
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Ex. 2
You can still stay on the second hole but use the 2+ (2 blow) on the IV Chord to add a little more
interest. This is demonstrated in Example 3 below.
Ex. 3
Harmonizing
Examples 2 and 3 are good to play for general accompaniment. To play in harmony with these
examples all you would need to do is to move up or down to the next hole on the harmonica. Example 4
uses hole 3 as a focus. The 3 draw has the unique property of just needing to be bent a half step more
each time a chord change comes. For the I Chord you’ll play the 3 draw unbent, or bent just slightly (a
quartertone) for bluesy affect. For the IV Chord bend the 3 down a half step (3’). For the V Chord bend
the 3 down a whole step (3”).
Try playing Example 4 by itself to build mastery of the bends (making sure the bends are in tune). Then,
play Example 4 on top of my recording of Example 3 to hear the harmony. You can do the same thing in
reverse as well, Example 3 on top of my recording of Example 4 to hear the harmony.
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Ex. 4
Self Harmonizing
If we’re speaking of general harmonica accompaniment, keep in mind that whenever possible it’s a good
idea to use octaves for a bigger sound. This can make it sound like there are two players, but you’re
playing both parts (the single note in the left side of your mouth and the single note on the right side of
your mouth). This is demonstrated in Example 5 below.
Ex. 5
Other Harmonizing Options
If you’re taking a lick that you like and want to make a harmony part then you can use the same general
rule as before… move the lick up or down one hole on the harmonica. Make sure to reference the notes
in Example 1—these note choices will sound best when you have the option. Example 6 shows some
more harmony options just in case you need a hipper harmony or just need some more note choices
when the others don’t quite seem to work.
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Ex. 6
Many times the lick you’re trying to harmonize will have notes that don’t fit in either chart. In that case
you just need to experiment with other notes until you find something that sounds good. Make sure to
also check all possible bend combinations—sometimes it’s a bend you wouldn’t expect to sound good
that ends up making the harmony work.
Song Example
Our final example is an original instrumental I’ve written called “It Takes Three.” This is an example of
the cool harmonies you can do if you spend the time it takes to find the right combination. If you see only
one note written, it’s only player one playing. You’ll need a B-flat harmonica for this song.
Ex. 7
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Ending
About the Author David Barrett
http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/david.htm
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