Reckless Tram ISSUE 2

Natural Minor
Natural minor harmonicas are available from a
number of manufacturers and are probably the most
popular tuning after standard major key Richter.
Natural minor tuning has blow reeds 2, 5 and 8 and
draw reeds 3 and 7 lowered a semitone compared to
a major Richter tuned harmonica.
As an aside, it’s interesting to note that while
Western ears typically associate songs in minor
keys with melancholy emotions, various researchers
(see for example, Fritz et al., Universal Recognition
of Three Basic Emotions in Music, 2009, https://
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
S0960982209008136) have found that in cultures
where the exposure to Western music is minimal this
link is less consistently identified, suggesting at least
an element of learnt association.
Of course, natural minor keys are not new to the
blues – the minor pentatonic being a staple of the
genre from its earliest days – so don’t expect a
natural minor harp to transform your playing instantly
from mainstream to otherworldly.
For that, you’ll need:
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