I like to play the LOMM in first position - "Sunrise, Sunset" and "A Rose in a Bible" which is a medium bluegrass. If one looks at the charts that come with the LOMM, it shows what can be played in different positions. LOMM is not just for second position. It's fun to figure out other methods.
Thanks for the info on the melody maker. I might ask for one for Xmas to play around with. I play a few melodies in first position and if I could move them to 2nd position with the Melody Maker, and have the bends available for effect, it might really improve these tunes.
I hope you figure out what's ging on with your mic and the microcube amp. I've had people tell me they really like that little amp with the Bottle 'O Blues. If you figure out what it takes to get it sounding good on a recording let me know.
Hey Jim and Dick, I really like Melody Makers. Opposed to Standard Tuning, the 3 blow is raised 1 step, and 5 and 9 draw raised one half step. For a standard C harp (labeled as LO Melody Maker G), this gives you the G Major scale G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G on the following holes 2d-3b-3d-4b-4d-5b-5d-6b, It is great for melodic playing. I was asked to play "Georgia On My Mind" in public once, and after lots of hard work on standard tuning, it never sounded very good (mainly having to hit the A - or 3d"- spot on in important places, but also lacking the F#). I finally decided the MM was the only way to go. Unfortunately, I needed to play it in F, and LO only makes A,C,D,E,G. So I retuned a Sp20 Bb to F MM and it was sooo great.
The advantage of the MM over 1st positon Std Tuning is that you still have most of those great 2nd pos bends to add color to the playing. Disadvantage is losing the flatted 7th blue note on 5d (you now have to bend 5d to get it), but having the natural 7th w/o overblow helps on some songs. A compromise to the MM is Paddy Richter, where the 3b is raised but the 5d and 9d remain flatted 7ths. This keeps that bluesy feeling but gives you the 2nd degree (A on a G scale) without the squawky 3d" (unless your bends are a lot more accurate than mine). Yet another compromise is the Country Tuning (Hohner CT, or Huang Jazz Harp) in which the 5 and 9 draw are raised 1/2 but the 3 blow is left = 2 draw. This is done mostly to allow chord playing of major I , IV, V on country tunes.
I really like the Paddy Richter for giving you that 2nd degree unbent while keeping the flatted 7th. It's great for blues and folk. Unfortunately, I think only Seydel offers this tuning, I made my own by tuning up only 3b a full step. However, each of these tunings have their advantages.
Paddy Richter - "Danny Boy" - Perfect for this song starting on 3d. On Standard Tuning, when you get to "call-all-ING", you have to hit the 3d" spot on to get that A. MM also works here, where you can do 3b for the A, But on the next phrase "From glen TO glen", that 3rd note is an F which requires a bend on the MM. Much better on Paddy Richter, all the notes are there.
Melody Maker - "Georgia" - Perfect for this song starting on 3d. Can get that A on the 4th note, but also gives you the F# you need on the third line "just an old sweet SONG", which is really important, and not available unless OB'd on a PR.
So, guys - yes, I recommend getting a LO Melody Maker. It's a cool harp. Opens up a lot of melodic playing without hitting those bent "clams" we all hit (unless you are Joe-Filisko-good on your bends) on sustained notes. Plus, you can still play bluesy if you can hit the flatted 7th on the now 5d'. But really, a Paddy Richter may suit your style (and set list) better in the long run, but maybe that's another harp for another time. Try 'em both if you can. I love the MM, but really the PR is more versatile.
Good luck, fssharp
PS - Jim-I recorded some BOB thru the MicroCube last week but really didn't like the result. Maybe I didn't have the amp mic'd right, or maybe it just sounds worse on tape than I think it sounds to my ears, or maybe it's just not the best sounding amp after all. I may try it again over Xmas, but anyway, friends that have used the mic with their amps are impressed.
I think the point with the Melody Maker is that you play 2nd position (cross harp) but have the missing note that you usually don't have, thus allowing you to play melodies in 2nd position. Is this right? I've been thinking of trying one just for fun. Anyone use these?
