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From: A.M~um.gu.edu.au (Anthony May)
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 08:37:27 +1000 (EST)
Subject: Scales

This is my first post to the list and I'm a new player, so please bear with
me. I have a question about scales and positions. I'm learning 'properly'
after not touching a mouth organ for about 15 years and then having just
blown merrily as a kid for about 5 years. I've bought the Charlie McCoy
Country Harp Book, which I'm finding to be very good, especially
considering that I picked it up in a local music store sale for AUS$5
(US$3.50), sorry Mr. McCoy. It works better when you copy the CD onto tape
so that you can go over the exercises repeatedly. The Jack Ely gospel
lessons have been pretty good too. And I'm using a Lee Oskar in C. I'll
be buying more mouth organs soon (more about that later) but I've convinced
myself that I can play anything in the world (within reason) on this
handsome piece of tin. Every source of instruction that I access tells me
the C scale but I figure there has to be a scale for each position and so I
worked out the following scales for 2nd (G), 3rd (D) and 4th (A) positions
on the C mouth organ. Not having anyone local that I can check with, can
someone on the list either confirm these or tell me where I'm going wrong,
please?

G scale on C (2nd pos) b=blow d=draw
2d 3d(full tone bend) 3d 4b 4d 5b 5d 6b

D scale on C (3rd pos)
4d 5b 5d 6b 6d 7d 7b 8b

A scale on C (4th pos)
3d(full tone bend) 3d 4b 4d 5b 5d 6b 6d

I realise that there are another eight positions and that my simple ideas
are going to get me into trouble down the line but this, if correct, will
do me for now. Am I way off track here or have I lucked onto how to work
it out?

Final question: As mouth organs are expensive here (Australia), e.g. LO
costs AUS$39 approx, I was considering sending for several hundred via mail
order from the US. I was going to try the Huang Star Performer in a few
keys (perhaps 3). The best prices that I can find on the Web are at F&R
Farrell's. Can anyone give any better advice, either on where to buy or on
which keys to follow up on the C (I like to play sort of blues/sort of
country)?

Final comment: Harp-L has been a real find for me, it comes more regularly
than my postman, and with a much pleasanter disposition. Thanks for the
advice so far, especially the FAQ, and thanks for bearing up to the long
post. I think I'll go and make a loud noise on my mouth organ after being
so pleasant to all of you.

Tony May