I play in a weird tuning which I think may be open A flat to suit my voice.
My A harp works when I play blues starting at the third fret.
But I cant find a harp to work when I play starting from open position (open A flat I'm guessing?)
(basically it's open type D configuration of notes, but up a few semi tones etc)
So logically if an A harp works when I start playing blues on the third fret, you would think an G harp may work on the open position, but it doesn't.
I think if I may be possibly playing in A flat hence would I hence need a F sharp harp, which I don't have.
Does this make sense to anyone and can they advise, bearing in mind I don't know the actual tuning?
It's a head twisting riddle I know, can anyone help?
(other than get a tuner out an figure out what open tuning it is)
Thanks for any help I can get
Comment
Ron,
Thanks for the link. It's been years since I worried about this stuff and the chart is a great help. (Although, reasonable people should be warned about looking at it and trying to think about all the possibilities.)
In fairness, I believe I've heard "cross harp" used as a generic term for all of the (2 or 3?) blues variants for diatonic harmonica.
I didn't argue with Bug's use of an A harp to play in B. If you're drawing in on it, you'll get E, G#, B, and D. The chord doesn't fit the key, but isolated notes do. If you sit on the B and D, you've got (most of) a I chord with a minor 3rd. E, G#, and B give you a IV chord; and lotsa' hardcore blues never really hit a V chord anyway. Add to that, you can blow on it and get a nice A chord which is a major triad on the flat 7--good for sexy freight train effects. In theory, it could be done this way.
Bug, could we call this "Bug" tuning--to go with "cross" and "slant"?
TN
If an A harp works with the 3rd fret, then an F# (or G-flat) harp should work with open position. Trouble is, I don't believe I've ever seen an F# or G-flat harp. Try tuning yer guitar to A instead of A-flat; suck it up and make your voice go a half step higher; and use a G harp (which is fairly common).
Sorry, but that's the best I can come up with...
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