Well the Good Doctor and Stomping Stu from the local allotments have been busy organising visitations from a few of their favourite overseas harp slingers this summer. Check out the details below and get your buns on down to Brighton for a shot or two of what you know does you good…

Aki Kumar                            Dave Ferguson                 Joe Filisko
San Jose (USA)                  Cape Town (RSA)           Chicago (USA)
Fri 31.May 2013                 Sun 2.Jun 2013               Fri 26.Jul 2013

AKI KUMAR & LITTLE JONNY LAWTON  (San Jose, USA) Friday 31st May 2013: The Ranelagh Arms, Brighton , 8.30pm   FREE

Formerly the harp and guitar frontmen in Southern California’s excellent vintage blues band Tip Of The Top, Aki and Jonny are now working as a duo, as well as cutting it in combos that include some of the best names in West Coast R&B.

Harp fans can catch these guys all over YouTube shredding it up with the likes of RJ Mischo, Charlie Musselwhite, Kim Wilson, Mark Hummel, Gary Smith, Rick Estrin, John Nemeth, Dave Barrett…the list actually is endless! First time Aki and Jonny have played in the UK – come and give them a supersize welcome.

DAVE FERGUSON (Cape Town, SA)
Sunday 2nd June 2013: The Ranelagh Arms, Brighton , 8.30pm   FREE

Since gracing the stages of London with his fabulous blues and country harping back in the nineties, Dave returned to his home base of Cape Town to secretly concoct a solo Harp Loop and Beat Boxing master-brew. And it’s something that’ll really blow your socks off. If you’re familiar with Son Of Dave, it’s time you met his prodigal brother.

We guarantee you have never experienced anything like it. In fact you won’t be able to stay in your seat (unless of course we nail you there). No smoke, no mirrors; just a heap of rhythm, a slew of harp and a ton of attitude.

JOE FILISKO (Chicago, USA) Friday 27th July 2013: The Brunswick, Hove, 8.00pm   TICKETS

Joe Filisko is what you might call a harp players’ harp player. Specialising in unplugged pre-war acoustic harmonica, he produces music you never dreamt could eminate from the ten hole tin sandwich.

This is Joe’s third consecutive summer visit to Brighton before leading the Blues Week at Northampton Uni. You couldn’t wish to meet such a gentle man, highly accomplished artist and marmite aficianado. Joe reaches parts of the harmonica others never knew existed.

For tickets please contact The Brunsick direct or call Stomping Stuart McKay on 07773 270336.

 Au Clair de la Lune, mon ami Pierrot

Today Otis the Harp Surgery’s postman dropped off a delivery from those lovely people at Amazon.co.uk; Pat Missin’s handsome new manual, The Ultimate Miniature Harmonica Tunebook. And as he trudged round the duck pond, amidst the late snow and expectant quacks, Otis was whistling a familiar French folk tune.

‘Pour l’amour de Dieu’, the Good Doctor sympathised as he gingerly opened the Surgery’s front door, ‘come inside and warm yourself before you freeze your assets’. ‘Don’t mind if I do’, replied Otis pausing from his musical méandre, ’Get that kettle on. Mine’s a Julie Andrews’. 

Prête-moi ta plume, pour écrire un mot

‘Now what was that tune you were whistling my good fellow?’, enquired the Good Doctor as he dunked his finest Sainsbury’s shortcake biscuit. ‘It’s Au Clair de la Lune and you’ll find it on page 27′, replied Otis, a small pool of melting snow pudling around his boots.

The Good Doctor flipped open the manual, took one glance and cried out, ‘Génie!’. ‘Have you run out of biscuits?’, Otis asked, looking slightly puzzled. He was confusing the Good Doctor’s gallic outburst with the Saturday girl at the supermarket cake counter. ‘No my dear fellow’, replied the Doctor, grinning broadly, ‘You’ve just found the solution to 12th position’. Otis was none the wiser.

Ma chandelle est morte, je n’ai plus de feu

Twelfth position has become popular in recent years as ‘the alternative first position’ or ‘flattened first’ on the 10 hole diatonic. It enables us, for example, to play in F major on a C harmonica, using 5D as our root note (or the full bend in hole 2). And for this reason, at least in theory, it offers an accessible alternative position for diatonic playing, just like 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Of course, we could play the refrain to Au Clair De Le Lune in first position on a 10 hole harp from 4B, as long as we were proficient in draw bends in hole 3. In which case the tab would be as follows (you can play along to the sound clip on a C harp):

4B   4B   4B   4D   5B   4D       4B   5B   4D   4D   4B
4B   4B   4B   4D   5B   4D       4B   5B   4D   4D   4B
4D   4D   4D    4D   3D”   3D”      4D   4B   3D   3D”   3B
4B   4B   4B   4D   5B   4D       4B   5B   4D   4D   4B 

Ouvre-moi ta porte, pour l’amour de Dieu

But as much as the Good Doctor enjoys a bit of theory, you will know by now that he also likes practical examples. And just as Scarborough Fair is a great blueprint for 3rd position, and When Johnny Comes Marching Home does the same for 4th position, the obvious contender for demonstrating 12th position had remained spectacularly elusive. Now here it was staring him in the visage – Au Clair de la Lune.

Now, imagine you were playing a four hole harmonica (holes 4 to 7 on a 10 hole diatonic). You might ask, ‘why would I want to do that – the Hohner Little Lady is just a toy, isn’t it?’. Well, when the Doctor teaches harmonica to the children of the village, they start on just four holes, using Hohner Speedy harmonicas ; there are an almost infinite number of melodies that can be enjoyed using four blow and four draw notes.

The problem with playing Au Clair de la Lune on a 4 hole harp is, the lower A (generated by 3D” on a 10 hole harp) is not an option. Instead we have to jump up an octave to find our A and things start to sound disjointed: 1D  1D  1D  1D   3D  3D  (4 holes) / 4D  4D  4D  4D  6D  6D (10 holes)

An epiphany occurs when, using a 4 hole harmonica and a modicum of trial and error, it becomes apparent that the melody can be reproduced from 2D (that’s 5D on a 10 hole harp) without bends or octave leaps. By narrowing the field of fire on a 4 hole harp, things actually become clearer. Welcome to 12th position and the Lydian mode. Our 10 hole tab is now shown below (for four hole tab deduct 3 from each hole number). You can play along, still using your C harp of course:

5D   5D   5D   6B   6D   6B       5D   6D   6B   6B   5D
5D   5D   5D   6B   6D   6B       5D   6D   6B   6B   5D
6B   6B   6B   6B    4D   4D       6B   5D   5B    4D   4B
5D   5D   5D   6B   6D   6B       5D   6D   6B   6B   5D

The divine number 12 – portal to overblowing

12th position gives us an alternative major position, perhaps more jazzy than bluesy, but useful nonetheless. And like third position, the six draw bend can give us a bucket load of extra expression. Think Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder. Please note however, there are two holes to avoid when playing in 12th positon, namely 3D and 7D. Using a C harp as our example, this is because the note of B is not a part of the F major scale. We can bend the 3D to 3D’ to achieve a Bb, the major seventh in the F scale, but 7D doesn’t offer a bending option. So what else can we do with 12th position?

At this point it is worth spending some time with the late, great, Chris Michalek, who recorded two great videos about 12th position for YouTube: Part 1 and Part 2. He uses the tune to Happy Birthday as an example of how 12th position can do the job better than 2nd position, because it avoids the nasty bends in 3D that can sound so unconvincing.

We do need to use the overblow in 6B# instead, which carries us into a whole new universe of technique, but it also gives us a real reason to find that missing note. In a way, because we have a clear target, the technique follows. It’s actually easier to anticipate the missing note and then find it. The tab is:

4B   4B   4D   4B   5D   5B                4B  4B   4D   4B    6B   5D
4B   4B   7B   6D   5D   5B   4D       6B#   6B#   6D    5D   6B   5D

Another way to crack this, is to play the Lydian scale;  5D  6B  6D  7D  7B  8D  8B  9D  The transition from 6D to 7D sounds odd, or distinctly un-major because it is a modal pattern. We instinctively want to hear that Bb tone, rather than a B. The missing Bb can be found by overblowing 6B#; in turn this also gives us the luxury of transferring our blow into 7B for the C and vice versa.  Again, having a clear target makes the overblow for the Bb all the more necessary and all the more achievable. If you want to investigate overbending further, check out overblow.com

Rocking around the clock

Our thanks to Pat Missin for taking the time and effort to bring us a tune a day for the 4 hole harmonica. His book is available on line through Amazon. Some other useful 12th position tunes Pat has identified include:

• Amazing Grace
• Old MacDonald
• There’s A Hole In My Bucket
• The Wheels On The Bus
• You’re In The Army Now
• Skye Boat Song

Otis the Postman is still a bit mystified by it all, so he’s gone to feed the ducks. We can hear him whistling the Skye Boat Song in Lydian Mode from the Surgery’s teatable, bless him.

I’m gonna pack my bag

A third annual day of Harpin’ By The Sea completed, and another bucket load of memories collected!

This year we had the very great honour of welcoming Steve Baker to his UK homeland, fresh from his tour of India. During a full programme of harmonica workshops,  Steve offered his wisdom and expertise to a select group of advanced harmonica players, many of whom had travelled across the country to meet him. Meanwhile over forty newcomers attended the workshop for complete beginners with the Harp Surgery’s Good Doctor.

Hustle on down the line

The evening show featured the harmonicas of Darren Causton and Blues Deluxe (left), followed by Will Greener’s solo presentation. Darren delivered his five star brand of high energy electric blues, while Will barefooted into a Filisko milieu of fox chases, spirituals and vintage harping. You should find footage of all the evening’s performances at Oxharp’s Youtube Channel.

And that includes Steve Baker with Blues Deluxe. As you would expect, Steve’s playing was richer than Schlag Sahne. Like a harping Pied Piper, he led his spellbound audience on a musical Wanderung that ranged from Funky Mardi Gras to  Soul Train, Off The Top and a reggae piece, One Drop Blues that brought back the spirit of 1970′s Rock Against Racism. In Hustle On Down, Steve demonstrated his mastery of country harping technique with a turn of phrase to make Charlie McCoy sound pedestrian.

The centrepiece of Steve’s performance was Doublecrossed And Blue. For the Good Doctor this was a special moment. Together with William Clarke’s Blowing The Family Jewels, this is the Doc’s all-time favourite piece of third position harping; a piece that should be studied by any serious harmonica player. It is quite simply seminal. Witnessing it played live was a privilege.

Doublecrossed And Blue first appeared on Steve’s Blues Harmonica Playalongs Vol.1 and it was later re-worked on his 2009 album, Gotta Look Up, with Chris Jones. You can still find copies of this excellent tutorial on the internet (if you’re not a German speaker, make sure it’s the English language version before you buy).

Steve plays the piece on an A major diatonic harp. Playing in third position, this means the band is in B minor. At Harpin’ By The Sea 2013, Steve explained that the piece was originally recorded as a studio guide track for his band. He had every intention of finishing the job later, particularly as he felt he’d hit a bum bent note at the end of the second passage.

What he was referring to is the sustained third draw bend in hole 3. You will find the passage at the start of this post. On the low end of a harp, the descending third position blues scale is 4D  4B   3D”  3D”‘  3B   2D”  1D. Notionally, Steve may have had 3D” as his intended note. He actually played the 3D”‘, but planned to overdub the passage later, or else run a full retake of the harp line.

On hearing it through again however, he realised that what he’d already recorded worked perfectly. It may have been the wrong note theoretically, but his ears told him otherwise. He’d hit the mood of the piece perfectly. Steve did attempt some retakes for good measure, but somehow none quite recaptured the moment.

Which is probably why we all love this track so much. Meanwhile, here’s Steve playing it live at Harpin’ By The Sea 2013:

Richard Taylor leads the beginners workshop

Keith Charnley leads the intermediates workshop

Steve Baker leads the Advance players workshop

Now that the Christmas and New Year celebrations are behind us, even for our funky Spanish neighbours with all their Three Kings business (we love you), the folks down here at the Surgery have been checking out a few statistics.

And before you go getting all excited, no we don’t mean the vital statistics of Our Monica, the Harp Surgery’s own domestic Godess from up North.

If you’re a regular at the Surgery, you’re probably familiar with the ‘Where in the World’ globe on our homepage. It’s over there on the right >. You can tell at a glance who’s visiting us, and from whence they cometh. For all our visitors, regular or new, you can enjoy flying your flag while you’re here. You can probably see your right now. Which is nice.

May old acquaintance be forgot!

Anyway, as Our Monica was hoovering (that’s vacuum cleaning, rather than floating a few inches off the ground) the office this afternoon, when she happened to comment about the big splash of white at the bottom of the globe with no red blobs. Otis coughed up his Earl Grey. To ordinary folk she was talking about Antarctica.

The Good Doctor swiftly planted his monicle in his good eye and observed the on-screen graphics. ‘Good Lord‘ he exclaimed, ‘We’re everywhere but nowhere baby, that’s where we’re at!‘ We suspected he’d taken a sneaky snort from the Glenfiddich bottle Otis (our Postman) delivered for the New Year festive period. We were wrong…

‘Just look at the evidence’, he barked, slopping his Rooibusch on the Axminster. ‘We’re huge in Europe and the US. We’ve covered South America, including the middle of the Amazon jungle and Tierra Del Fuego. Even Las Islas Malvinas (that’s The Falklands to Admiral Lord Cakesprinkle who lives next door to the Surgery) has a couple of splodges. In fact we’re worldwide except for…’ and he scribbled down a list on his Harvey’s of Lewes beer mat.

• Antarctica
• Sahara Desert
• Skeleton Coast of Namibia
• Mauritania
• Mali, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Congo
• Somalia
• Botswana
• Zimbabwe
• Western China
• New Guinea & Melanesia
• Kamchatka
• Northern Siberia
• Nunavut
• Svalbard
• North Alask
• Yakutsk and Magadan

As our Monica mopped up the tea stains from the Surgery’s best Baluchistan rug, she murmered, ‘What if…’  and before she could finish, the Good Doctor was opening the Mahogany harmonica cupboard… ‘If the harmonica has been into outer space’, he spluttered, ‘then why not to these blessed corners of the globe?’.

The challenge

And so, in the spirit of a jolly good challenge, the good folk of the Harp Surgery - The Good Doctor, Murray the ex-Apprentice, Otis the Postman, The Riverboat Captain, Our Monica the cleaning lady from up North, and Admiral Lord Cakesprinkle nextdoor – we hereby challenge our visitors to email us an evidential snapshot of themselves and their harmonica from anywhere on the list above. Whereupon we will forward a 10 hole Suzuki Airwave harmonica by return of snailpost.

Happy New Year to all our visitors and bestest fans wherever you are. We look forward to receiving your 2013 crazy wilderness harmonica pics from around the planet!

Harp Surgery

Wadin’ through the waste stormy winter

Fifty years on, old big lips and the gang are back on stage delivering their special brand of rock’n'roll. And we still like it!

Coincidentally, we got a call from our good friend Gordon Russell, asking if Harp Surgery had a student who could add the harp line to a song one of his own protégés would be performing locally. ‘What’s the song?’ the Harp Surgery’s Good Doctor asked. ‘Sweet Virginia in A, by the Stones’, replied the ex-Doctor Feelgood axemeister.

‘No sweat me old mucker, we’ve got just the person.’ Cue Harp Surgery’s junior player of the year 2011 and 2012, Josh Cooper, age 10. Josh and the Doc duly put their heads together and this is what they came up with..

And there’s not a friend to help you through

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards co-wrote Sweet Virginia for their 1972 Exile On Main Street double album. Having checked out the recording and a few YouTube clips, our dynamic duo concurred that the song is in A major and Mick Jagger uses an A harp in first position to play the intro.

Josh and the Doc paused to consider the musical landscape. Sweet Virginia is a country flavoured song; theyswapped their Fedoras for Stetsons. ‘Now how did that top end country scale go again…?’, the Doc mumbled. ‘Like this’, replied the new Apprentice..

7B   8D   8B’..8B   9B   10D   10B

Tryin’ to stop the waves behind your eyeballs

Now it was time to figure out Mick Jagger’s intro. After a few rewinds, it was clear there are four harp phrases at the start of the song…and that’s about it. Josh quickly picked them off..

4B…     4D…     4B..4D..5B

5B   4D   4B..4D..4B…       4D…       4B..5B

5B   4D   4B..4D..4B…       4D…    5B…6B…7B…

8B…   8D…   7B…

Drop your reds, drop your greens and blues

Having nailed the intro, the Doc asked Josh what he’d do if he was asked to solo later in the song. ‘The original has a Sax solo mid-way through and more Sax towards the end’, he pointed out. ’If the band doesn’t have a Sax player, you should be ready to add a suitable harp break’. Josh scratched his head quizzically.

The Doc leaned forward, peered over his spectacle frames and smiled. ‘Working between 7B and 10B, let’s build on the intro phrases, taking note of the chord progressions, thinking about the country scale, keeping the tone light and working out what we can do without changing harps’.

Josh ran up and down the top-end Country scale a few times and produced some new country licks. ‘Ok that’s cool’, the Doc nodded, ‘but don’t forget 10D and 8D. These are your Country notes. Without them we’re relying too heavily on the blow bends and laying down a blues line’. Within minutes the job was done. The new licks sounded hot and Josh was looking confident. Gig on!

The song’s chord changes require three very simple, but very important, clean draw notes on the diatonic harp: 10D on the ascending runs, a holding 9D at the end of the third phrase and 8D in the resolving phrase. And just as we’d use the 3D bend in country cross harping, so the 8B bend becomes pivotal to high end country phrasing on a straight harp. Milk it!’.

I want you to come on, come on down Sweet Virginia

And so dear reader, without further ado, it’s time to check out Josh’s Sweet Virginia solo licks and add them to your own gig repertoire. Let’s get country harping to the Rolling Stones..

7B   8B’..8B   9B..10D..10B   10D   9B    8B..8B’..7B   8B’..8B..9B

7B   8B’..8B   9B..10D..10B   10D   9B    8B..8B’..7B   8B’..8B……

7B   8B’..8B   9B..10D..10B   10D   9B    8B..8B’..7B   8B’..8B..9B   9B..9D

7B   7B..8B’..8B   8B’..8B   8D     8B..8D..7B

And for that schmalzty, yee-ha, country style ending, how about..

……9B..10D..9B   8B..8B’..7B

Now try this over a full cycle of the song

For more Country Harp technique and tips check out:

Country Harping First Steps

Happy St.Andrew’s Day

Cantie Saunt Dandie’s Day tae ye! Or if you’re a speaker of Scottish Gaelic, Beannachtai ne Feile Aindréas!

We had considered running an article on how to play Amazing Grace, but discovered, to our surprise, this may not be the traditional Caledonian Air we’d imagined. We also thought about the Sky Boat Song, or Scotland The Brave, but harp tab for this is freely available on the interweb. So instead, we decided to post an introduction to the tradition of the Scottish mouth organ – or Moothie. And, as a small bonus, we’ve thrown in a neat little bagpipe trick we picked up from Joe Felisko..

We watched thee in the gloamin’ hour

As far as reed instruments go, the harmonica, bagpipes and accordion are close relatives. They are all reed instruments, which are powered by a bellows – whether the human lungs or an artificial system. A detail is that the bagpipe is not entirely a free reed instrument; the melody pipe, or chanter, often has a double reed at the top, like a small oboe. And there is a reed, or sometimes double reeds, in one or more of the drone pipes.

Reeds notwithstanding, in the right hands, the sound of the Pipes or Accordion becomes undeniably Celtic. Whether Scottish folk music, country dancing, or a military tatoo, we’re immediately reminded of all things Caledonian. The Moothie adds perfectly to this theme; but we should note one proviso. While Celtic music can be created on just about any form of harmonica (fast forward to the end of this post), for authenticity, the tremolo variety is the best tool for the job. The tremolo produces a sound that is very similar to the accordion.

We watched thee in the mornin’ grey

Dave Hambley is secretary of the UK’s National Harmonica League (NHL). Dave has created a splendid website dedicated to the Scottish harmonica.

The secret of the moothie is in the double row of playing holes, each housing two reeds. With this arrangement, each tone has two reeds, one upstairs and one downstairs. Each corresponding pair of blow or draw reeds is tuned fractionally differently, which fives rise to the essential wavering, or tremolo, effect.

Tho’ thirty thousand pounds they gie,

It is less widely known that, in their infinite wisdom, Hohner recognised the Moothie tradition and produced the specialist Highlander tremolo harmonica. Hohner consulted with Moothie expert Donald Black to develop the Highlander, using the Hohner Echo tremolo as their template. The result was a tremolo tuned especially for playing (Scottish) highland bagpipe music.  

We say was because according to Hohner UK, production of the Highlander has ceased owing to low demand. Surprising when one considers the global presence of Scots communities. On the other hand perhaps it’s a sad reflection of the minority interest of Moothie music.

Nevertheless, Highlanders are still occasionally available on eBay, although you’ll need to budget over £80.00 GBP plus postage (+/- $150.00 USD). And there are no real guarantees your purchase will be good to gig when it arrives!

For information, the tones on the A side of th Highlander were rearranged to the mixolydian scale, but the standard tone sequence was left on the D major side. This way a wealth of highland bagpipe melodies can be played with ease.  The wooden comb is also coated with a special dark green lacquer, making it very sturdy and less prone to splitting. There is an excellent review of the Hohner Highlander on Pat Missin’s harmonica website.

O there is nane that wad betray

To learn more about all aspects of the tremolo you can visit Jonathan E Brickman’s website The Tremolo, where all is explained. 

We’re delighted to report that the Moothie is by no means a dying tradition. This picture (right) is of the Scots Moothie Group who meet at Edinburgh’s Sandy Bell Pub on Monday nights. If you’re ever in town and fancy joining in, they’ve published a set list on their website for you to scrutinise. 

Will ye no come back again?

On his many visits to the Harp Surgery, Joe Felisko has demonstrated a wide range of techniques, which have left the assembled guests gobsmacked. One he recently showed us had a very celtic flavour. Here’s a rough example:

The sequence is played on a G mjor 10 hole diatonic, rather than a tremolo, and centres around the D drone note. This is achieved by an initial 3 hole split 2D-4D with an initial draw bend. The split then extends to 4 holes 2D-5D, then 3 holes 3B-5B. The melody of Comin’ Thro The Rye uses basic 4 hole and 5 hole octaves And is thrown in for good measure. You can add the initial drone idea to a host of Celtic tunes to set the mood – try it as an opener to Land Of My Fathers. It works a treat!

In the meantime, here’s a great video reference of the tradition we’re talking about. Happy St.Andrew’s Day everyone. Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your partners and give a warm Scottish welcome to Scots Moothie expert, Laird Donald Black..

Cruisin’ and playin’ the radio

The Good Doctor had closed the Harp Surgery for the day and was just settling down to a medicinal Jim Beam when the doorbell rang. It was Otis the postman with some extra news for blues harp fans.

Otis had been messing around with the Internet Radio App on his new bluespad and stumbled across Radio Caprice’s twenty-four hour Harmonica Blues channel. Perfect for after-hours listening at the Surgery.

With no particular place to go

Radio Caprice is a free Internet Radio Station broadcast from Russia and can be located through most Internet Radio search engines. Listeners are treated to the classic tones of masters such as James Cotton, Big Walter, Rod Piazza, George Butler and Junior Wells, as well as one or two very pleasant contemporary surprises. Ron Sorin, The Pera Joe Blues Band and Sven Zetterburg are just a couple of examples the Doc and Otis grooved on down to.

Switching to cold shots of Stolyichnaya in celebration, Otis and the Doc stoked the winter coal fire and kicked back for an evening of top class entertainment. David Rotundo’s That Girl had them shimmying like a pair of old hippies on flower power. Nostrovia Radio Caprice!

Underneath the lantern, by the barrack gate

Had we been shovelled onto a grimy conveyor belt and pitched alongside millions of innocents into the inferno of the Great War (1914-18), there is a strong chance we would have had a musical companion. An emollient for the mental and physical agonies of front line duty.

Portability, cost and availability predetermined the choice of instrument. And while a variety found their way to the front, it was the humble harmonica that became the proprietary antedote to the sting of industrialised warfare. And it’s probably the reason why so many Europeans still relate stories of a family elder who played the mouth organ.

This Remembrance Day is no different to any other – they are equally important.  As Santayana famously wrote: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. It’s just that this year we have the novelty of an extra number 11. At the eleventh hour (GMT), on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month -  of the eleventh year - we remember the fallen.

Darling I remember, the way you used to wait

Following its innovation as a musical instrument, there is plenty of evidence, both documentary and archaelogical, to show that the harmonica has performed significant duty in wartime. From the American Civil War, through two World Wars and into the second millenium, the tin sandwich has withstood the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

In prelude to our The Harmonica At War series, while we could pay tribute by tabbing The Last Post, or a popular British First World War song such as Pack Up Your Troubles, we’ve chosen a song written during the First World War, but made famous in World War II; Lili Marlene.

My dad was in the 11th armored division and said when German prisoners were marched by, he would play Lily Marlene [sic] on his harmonica. Some would smile and nod, others would weep. War is hell on the soldiers no matter whose side fate puts you on. [TheDrummer51]

‘Twas there that you whispered tenderly

In 1915, shortly before leavig for the Russian front, Hans Leip – a soldier in the German Imperial Army – put pen to paper and produced a love poem which would eventually come to be known as Das Lied eines jungen Soldaten auf der Wacht, or The Song Of A Young Sentry. It was eventually published in 1937 in a poetry collection which encapsulated the melancholy of a young guardsman pining for his sweetheart.

The words were eventually put to music in 1939, with a husky Lale Andersen recording what was to become a classic wartime chanson. The tune was entitled Lile Marlene. It’s rise to popularity was almost by chance. A soldier working at Radio Belgrade, the German forces network in Europe, had happened upon it during a visit to Vienna. Upon his return, the song was broadcast by the radio station and soon became adopted amongst Axis and Allied troops alike.

Enjoyed throughout Europe and North Africa, the Allied authorities tried to discredit the song by implying that its subject was a lady of easy virtue. A take which may have been perpetuated by Marelene Dietrich’s rendition, but certainly not what Hans Leip had in mind when he first put pen to paper.

That you lov’d me, you’d always be

5B   5B..5B   5D   6B   5B

5D   5B..5D   7B..7D

4D   4D   5B..5D..6B

7D..6D   6B..5D   5B

6D   7D   7B..7D   6D

6D   6B   7B

6D..6B   5D   6D

6B..5D   5B   6B

5B   6B   5D..5D   8D   7B

5B   6B   5D..5D   3D   4B

My Lili of the lamplight

During the Second World War, Bill Mauldin enjoyed popularity with his Willie and Joe cartoon series in the Stars And Stripe magazine.

It featured two hapless GIs and a whole heap of trench humour. One particular edition depicts the two characters in a foxhole with a harmonica and reference to the tune Lili Marlene.

“Th’ krauts ain’t followin’ ya so good on ‘Lili Marlene’ tonight, Joe. Ya think maybe somethin’ happened to their tenor?” Permission for reproduction requested.    

My own Lili Marlene

In 1991, an unemployed German trucker who was lamed and partially blinded during a road accident lay in a coma. He lost his health, he lost his job and he lost his marriage. But Michael Hirte pulled through. He picked up his harmonica, busked the streets of Potsdam and went on to win Germany’s TV talent show Das Supertalent in 2008.. playing the harmonica. Here he is playing, of course, Lili Marlene!

HARPIN’ BY THE SEA - WE’RE BACK FOR OUR THIRD ANNUAL HARMONICA FESTIVAL!

• Sat 2. Feb 2013
• 11.00am-11.00pm 
• The Brunswick, Holland Road, Hove, BN3 1JF

Harpin’ By The Sea, with support from the National Harmonica League, is hosting it’s third annual Harmonica Day to brighten up your mid-winter.

Special Guest - Steve Baker (Hohner)

This is our third successive annual event. The last two years have seen a BIG crowd, from harmonica novices and enthusiasts, to intermediate and expert players, all seeking ways to improve technique and engage with each other. If you’ve always wanted to make music with a harmonica, or improve what you do, this is your chance.

The ‘Complete Beginners’ workshops will be led our own Richard Taylor, while Keith Charnley will be leading those who have already started but need to improve. Steve Baker, Darren Causton and Will Greener will be leading sessions for Intermediate and Advanced players.

Our very special guest, Steve Baker, is a consultant to Hohner Harmonicas and is world renowned as a harmonica innovator and teacher. This is a rare visit to the UK from Steve, who is based in Hamburg and will be visiting especially for this event. Steve wil be leading specialist workshops and performing a set in the evening, alongside our other with harp-friendly bands.Here’s the programme and entrance prices:

• 11.00 Registration
• 11.30-13.00 Workshops
• 14.15-15.45 Workshops
• 15.45 Free entry Prize Draw – generously sponsored by Sutherland Trading – distributors for M.Hohner Harmonicas
• 16.00-17.00 Workshops
• 17.30-18.30 Open harp jam on stage
• 18.30-20.00 Chill out / Time for dinner (not included)
• 20.00-23.00 Live show with featured artists

Booking information

• Workshops only £17.50 / £14.00 conc.
• Evening Concert only £8.00 / £6.00  conc.
• Tickets available from www.brunswickpub.co.uk
• Info: Stuart McKay 07773 270336

What to bring / What harmonica?

Paying participants are eligible to take part in as many workshops as they can handle. Beginners will need a Richter tuned diatonic harp in the key of C Major. That’s a regular 10 hole ‘blues‘ harp – although we’ll be playing a range of styles. Intermediates should bring a C Major harp too and any others they have. Please be aware that parking in the area is metered. Bus and taxi transport is plentiful. The Brunswick has a good food menu and there are other food outlets within walking distance.

The Venue

The event will take place at the Brunswick Pub and Music Venue, set just back from Hove seafront. Beginners workshops will take place in the main Music Room on the ground floor, while intermediate and advanced workshops will be upstairs in their teaching rooms. The jam and evening concert will also take place in the excellent Live Music Venue.

Hark, what peaceful music rings!

[To the Memory of the great Herbert Harris, Choirmaster and Organist of All Saints Church, Harpenden, UK].

Welcome to the Harp Surgery, where one minute we’re honking the blues and next minute we’re power harping on a tangent. Time now to turn the clocks back three hundred years to the ornamentation and etiquette of the Baroque.

Whether or not you’ve studied classical music, it’s a certainty you’ve encountered its superstars. In absentia, these dudes have colonised elevators, call centres hold messages and even TV theme tunes (check out The Antiques Roadshow ) for decades. Our house favourite is Johann Sebastian Bach. Jesu Joy Of Man’s Desiring, composed in the early 1700′s, was regular fayre for the Good Doctor as a junior.  And somehow, Bach was hip.

All Bach and plenty of bite

Taking part in Bach’s St.Matthew Passion from the organ loft of St.Alban’s Abbey as a senior treble was a seminal moment in the Good Doctor’s musical education. Bach’s Two and Three Part Inventions on the piano was also an adventure. Wherever JS Bach was, life was good.

Bach to the future

And the reason Bach resonated so strongly? Because there is a radical aspect inherent in his work. He was as much a punk rocker as a classical composer. Bach is probably the reason why academics believe maths and music share common ground. And so it was appropriate that, with the advent of the Moog Synthesiser, there came a collision of science and art in the form of Switched On Bach by Wendy Carlos (then Walter Carlos). Bach, it would seem, composed the Brandenburg Concerto for the electronic age.

Why bother with church music on the blues harp?

Firstly, because you can. Secondly, because Jesu Joy introduces you to first position patterns you wouldn’t otherwise discover – triplet sequences, new tongue splits, self-harmonisation and six overblow. Thirdly, it’ll expand your repertoire and turn heads.  Jason Ricci, former punk harpist extraordinaire, can be heard playing classical structures. He covers Beethoven and Paganini to great effect. And, who knows, one day you might like to stand up in church and play it as a dedication to a loved one.

Bach to the roots

Let’s be honest, religious music lies at the roots of the blues and soul tradition. Little Walter’s My Babe is a reworking of the Spiritual This Train. There are many other examples. Sit back and enjoy Terry McMillan playing it below. Forego the earlier vamping; once he gets cooking at the 2:05 mark, tell me you you ain’t uplifted by them good ol’ country licks. He’s playing in G major, using a C major diatonic in second (cross harp) position. More on My Babe and the crossover of spiritual songs into secular R&B here.

Origins of Jesu Joy

Back to the main plot. J.S. Bach was the king of German baroque music in the 1700′s. The likes of Mozart and Beethoven, who came later, adored his compositions. During his lifetime he wrote copiously for choirs, orchestras, chamber ensembles, the church organ and solo instruments. Sadly Bach lived over a century before the Harmonica was invented. Given his creativity and imagination however, who knows what would have happened had he heard one.

Jesu Joy is a Chorale he wrote as part of the Herz Und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life) Cantata. In Harp Surgery terms, a Cantata is a piece of posh church music for choir and solo voices, accompanied by a modest orchestra. It’s not an over lengthy affair so your tush won’t turn to stone. If it does, you can stand up and join in the ‘sing-along’ Chorale section with the rest of the congregation. There are two in Herz und Mund, with Jesu Joy being the second, closing, Chorale. You can familiarise yourself with this serene piece of music by playing the link below. Take note of the lyrical accompaniment of the orchestra and the slower melody line (starting at 24 seconds) which draws it all together.

So how did he do it?

Here’s how to tackle this famous piece on your harp. We’re using a G major diatonic and playing in 1st position. Enjoy the three hole harmony splits, which mimic the unison line of the chorale. Perfect that middle 3 draw bend. And brace yourself for the 6 overblow – which isn’t as hard as you might imagine. You can always start by building and holding the notes of the D7 chord, 2D-3D-4D-5D, to create anticipation, before commencing the full melody from 4B. The symbol # means overblow. For a list of key harp skills, visit our Harp Skills menu.

Standard triplet section: Section A

[2D-3D-4D-5D..................]

..4B 4D   *5B 6B 5D   5D 6D 6B

6B 7B 7D   7B 6B 5B   4B 4D 5B  

5D 6B 6D   6B 5D 5B   4D 5B 4B  

3D 4B 4D   2D 3D 4D   5D 5B 4D

5B 4B 4D   5B 6B 5D   5D 6D 6B

6B 7B 7D   7B 6B 5B   4B 4D 5B

3D” 6B 5D   5B 4D 4B   3B 4B 3D

 4B 5B 6B   7B 6B 5B   4B 5B 6B..

______________________________

Standard double stop section: Section B

4B-5B   3D-5D   4B-6B

4B-6B   3D-5D   3B-5B   3D-4D

..2D 3D”   3D 4D 4B   4D 5D 5B   5D 4D 3D

2D 3D 4D   5D 5B 4D..

4B-5B   3D-5D   4B-6B

3B-5B   3D-4D   3B-5B…3D-5D…3B-5B

2D-4D   3B-4B..

..5B 4D  and back to *5B 6B 5D as per Section A

Repeat parts A and B 

______________________________

 Middle chorale section: Section C

4D   5B 5D   5D 5B   5D…6B…5D   5B 4D       pause

5D   6B 6D   6D 6B   6D..6B#..6D   6B 5D      pause

Repeat part B, followed by the final triplet section D ..

______________________________

Final triplet section: Section D

4B 5B 6B   7B 6B 5B        4B 5B 6B   6B# 6B 5B

4B 5B 6B   6D 5D 4D        3D 4D 5D    6B 5B 4B       

3D” 4B 5B   5D 4D 3D        2D 3D 4D   5D 5B 4D

Repeat parts A with ralentando close….

3D” 6B 5D   5B 4D 4B

3B 4B 3D   4B-5B… or the Buddy Green style close using rising three hole splits…

2B-4B….3B-5B….4B-6B….5B-7B

______________________________

Here’s Buddy Greene at the Carnegie Hall playing Jesu Joy (C harp 1st position), a short burst of Mozart’s Sonata 16, 1st Movement (C harp 2nd position) and, as a bonus, the William Tell Overture by Rossini (C harp 1st position). He’s using either a Hohner Meisterklasse or Golden Melody.