harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty

Subject: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: GUEST,walden
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 03:12 PM

I just heard jack haggerty by mick hanley.
i have the guitar worked out, for those who might wonder, its dadgad with a capo on 3rd fret. which means the song is played in F

however, i cant work out whats going on with the harmonica.
i'm no expert on harmonicas btw.

i have a few hohner proharps, and i cant replicate what is being played.
which makes me assume the tuning of the harp played is different to my harmonicas.

so the specific Questions are;

what type of harp is being played?
what key of harp is being played?.

many thanks :-)

W

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Les from Hull
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 03:33 PM

I've never heard this, but do you know you can get F harps in a 'low F tuning', an octave below the normal tuning. So if it's a rich full tone in F it's a 'low F'. I love my 'low F' and I wouldn't go back to standard F for a gold pig.

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Songbob
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 04:09 PM

If the harp sound isn't "blues" harp, an F harp is needed. That is, unless there's a minor key sound to it. Since I don't know the song or singer, I can't speculate. But either a standard or low-F harp should be able to play in F. If it's a blues sound, what they call "cross harp," you need a Bb harp, so you can home in on the F note (the 5th in the scale). This system gives you some whole-tone-down sounds (EB, not E below the F note, for instance). It's even possible that the song is modal, and you'll need an Eb harp (if it's in Dorian, or the II note).

Good luck with it. I'm just learning cross-harp playing, myself, and it's fun, but not quite so intuitive as straight-harp playing. Modal playing is even odder (think of starting with the first DRAW note as your tonic).

Bob

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Tootler
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 06:15 PM

Is it possible to post a link to a clip of the song?

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Acorn4
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 06:24 PM

I love the version of the song by Touchstone - you really need to get an MP3 up we can listen to as this is a really early MH recording - I'd be interested to hear it.

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 06:48 PM

i'll upload a clip.......

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: GUEST,walden
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 07:03 PM

clip as promised....
https://www.yousendit.com/download/MVNlNU1ObThwcFZMWEE9PQ

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Songbob
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 07:33 PM

Straight-harp, not cross, I think it's a double-reed instrument, no funny scales. It sounds like an imitation of the squeeze-box (melodeon? button-box of some sort, anyway). I didn't hear any accidentals, so it wasn't a chromatic harp.

What would you call this style? How about "pretty good?"

I can't help more than that.

Bob Clayton

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 08:59 PM

That's Andy Irvine on the harmonica (unmistakable style) and I would have thought there's enough note-bending going on that it has to be cross-harp playing. Mick Hanley put the tune to the song.

Ross

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 09:28 PM

hi, well spotted there!
i just checked the sleeve note, it is indeed andy irvine on harmonica.

its confusing, i had another crack at this, and i can fudge it on a harp in the played key, but i dont get how you could do it cross harp.

??????

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Les from Hull
Date: 01 Dec 09 - 10:05 PM

You can bend notes on straight harp playing as well. I'd say straight harp (and not low F) played really well. Why not ask Andy if he can remember?

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: GUEST,walden
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 10:08 AM

hmm i dont have his phone number.......

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 10:33 AM

I'd say he's playing a low F harp in first position, but he is bending certain blow-notes for decoration which, in theory, he shouldn't be able to bend. Two possibilities I can come up with are that the harp he's playing is a standard diatonic that's been valved, or alternatively it's a Hohner Low F XB40. The latter has auxiliary, "silent" reeds that enable bending on all the 20 notes of the harp. On a standard, unvalved harp only blows 7-10 and draws 1-6 are amenable to bending. We're not talking about overblowing here - the notes I'm talking about in the clip are definitely bends, not overblows. Whatever the harp, it's a beautifully tasteful and skilful bit of playing, as ever, by Andy Irvine.

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 10:34 AM

Contact him via his website. He's actually really helpful.

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 10:51 AM

The Suzuki MR350V is a valved 10-hole diatonic on which every note can be bent. It is available in low F.

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 11:54 AM

...but obviously not as helpful as this bloke...

Subject: RE: harmonica on mick hanleys jack haggerty
From: GUEST,walden
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 08:53 PM

hey this is all really helpful, thanks to everyone :-)
not least steve, i think your take on this sounds interesting, and certainly explains my confusion.....

i wasnt aware of the xb40 extreme bender (!) i will investigate this, might even buy one.

cheers

W