From: Michael Will Date: Sat, 20 Apr 1996 06:48:25 -0700 Subject: Re: Chords (Not for Advanced Musicians)
Mr Benjamin R Day wrote: > > Hi. > > I have a question for all you music theory type people. > > If I have a richter tuned diatonic in the key of C for example, and I blow into holes 1,2 and 3, what chord is this? > > What about if I suck in 1,2 and 3? > > Does this alter if I play cross harp?
Ah ha! A question I can answer %^)
To figure out the chords, you first have to know the "interval relationships" of the notes. But, thank goodness you picked key of C harmonica for an example. Lets just look at the notes.
holes: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Draw notes: D G B D F A B D F A Blow notes: C E G C E G C E G C
So, for blow holes 1, 2, and 3 you have C, E, and G, which is a C Major chord (major 3rd interval on "bottom", i.e. C, E, and minor 3rd interval on "top", i.e. E, G).
For draw holes 1, 2, and 3 you get D, G, and B. This is a G Major chord, 2nd inversion (which just means the root note is in the middle--that is, a G Major chord is G, B, D, but if you play the D as the lowest note you get D, G, B--but it is still a G Major chord.)
The above is true regardless of *position*, like cross harp, which is basically just describing the hole and how you play it to get the root note of your scale. In Cross Harp (second position) your *key* is a 5th above the key of the harmonica, so for the C harmonica you get C=1,D=2,E=3,F=4,*G=5* --> G. So the draw 1, 2, 3 and 2, 3, 4 (5 for a Major 7th chord) are tonic chords--G chords in the key of G--for cross harp, and the blow 1, 2, 3 C chord is the ($10 term) "sub-dominant" or I=G,ii=A,iii=B,*IV=C* --> IV chord in the key of G.
Now, generalizing, the 1, 2, 3 blow is always the tonic major chord for the key of the diatonic major harmonica you're using. C Major for C, D Major for D, A Major for A......
The 1, 2, 3 draw is always the (another $10 word) dominant, or V chord for the key of the harmonica. For C harp, G; for D harp, A; for A harp, E, etc etc.
My home page has the note layout for a diatonic, including "scale tone", and also a position layout showing what position is associated with how you play each hole as the root note of your scale.
