Blues Scales for 10 hole diatonic harp, by Javier Argomedo. Notation: Just the number -> Draw (4 = Draw 4th hole) Plus sign and number-> Blow (+6 = Blow 6th hole) Quotation marks -> Number of half steps to bend (3'' = Two half note bend on 3rd hole) Number and 'o' -> Overblow/Overdraw (6o = Overblow 6th) NA -> Not available Circle of fifths: C F G Bb D Eb A Ab E C# B F# 1st harp pos (C for C harp): +1 1o 2'' 2' 2 3' +4 (1st overblow is the hardest) +4 4o 5 5o +6 6o +7 (TOO MANY OVERBLOWS) +7 8' 9 9' +9 10'' +10 COMPLETE 2nd harp pos (G for C harp): NA NA +1 1' 1 2'' 2 (not complete but usefull) 2 3' +4 4' 4 5 +6 COMPLETE, MOST USED +6 6o +7 7o 8 9 +9 (overdraw 7th is hard) +9 10'' NA NA NA NA NA 3rd harp pos (D for C harp): NA NA NA NA NA +1 1 1 2'' 2 3''' 3'' +4 4 COMPLETE 4 5 +6 6' 6 +7 8 COMPLETE AND EASY 8 9 NA NA NA NA NA 4th harp pos (A for C harp): NA +1 1 1o +2 2 3'' (without tonic, and hard overblow) 3'' +4 4 4o +5 +6 6 (need overblow 4th) 6 +7 8 8' +8 +9 10 COMPLETE, with one bend 10 +10 NA NA NA NA NA 5th harp pos (E for C harp): NA NA NA NA NA 1 +2 +2 2 3'' 3' 3 4 +5 COMPLETE +5 +6 6 6o 7 8 +8 COMPLETE if you can overblow 6th +8 +9 NA NA NA NA NA 6th harp pos (B for C harp): NA 1 +2 2'' 2' 3'' 3 3 4 +5 5 5o 6 7 You'll need to overblow 5th 7 8 +8 9 9' 10 10' COMPLETE (10' ?) 7th harp pos (F# for C harp): NA NA NA +1 1' +2 2' 2' 3'' 3 +4 4' +5 5o If you can overblow 5th 5o 6 7 +7 7o +8 9' uhmmm.. hard 9' 10 NA NA NA NA NA 8th harp pos (C# for C harp): 1' +2 2' 2 3''' 3 4' COMPLETE 4' +5 5o +6 6' 7 7o hard 7o +8 NA NA NA NA NA 9th harp pos (Ab for C harp): NA NA 1' 1 1o 2' 3''' 3''' 3 4' 4 4o 5o 6' hard 6' 7 7o 8 8' 9' 9o you need to overdraw 9o 10' NA NA NA NA NA 10th harp pos (Eb for C harp): (try to play this ;) NA NA NA NA NA 1' 1o 1o 2' 3''' 3'' 3' 4' 4o VERY VERY HARD! 4o 5o 6' 6 6o 7o 8' HARD TOO!!! 8' 9' NA NA NA NA NA 11th harp pos (Bb for C harp): (or this ;) NA 1' 1o +2 2'' 3''' 3' DIFFICULT 3' 4' 4o +5 5 6' 6o DIFFICULT 6o 7o 8' +8 9 9o 10'' DIFFICULT 12th harp pos (F for C harp): NA NA NA NA +1 1o 2'' 2'' 3''' 3' 3 +4 4o 5 You need 4th overblow 5 6' 6o 7 +7 8' 9 Complete if you overblow 6th Comments: You can play blues scale easily in: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th harp positions. For more advanced players: 7th and 12th harp positions and other octaves of the listed above. For expert players: 9th, 10th and 11th harp positions... (just look how many bends, overblows/overdraw you need) Take this scales as excercises... you should know how the blues scale sounds, so you can practice bends and overblows/overdraws. (c)1997 by Javier Argomedo