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LENNON HARMONICA KEYS??
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:52 am
by chingnchime
Can anyone please tell me the harmonica keys for the following Beatles songs? I know they weren't necessarily the same key as the songs themselves. Thanks!
PLEASE PLEASE ME
FROM ME TO YOU
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER
I'M A LOSER
LOVE ME DO
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:04 am
by admin
Steve: There is much discussion about the harmonicas that Lennon used in his recordings.
My take is that he used a diatonic harp in the key of C which is considered cross-harping as the songs of I Should Have Known Better, and I'm A loser are in the Key of G.
I consider that he used a chromatic harmonica for in the Key of C for the song Please Please Me, From Me To You and Love Me Do. Love Me Do is in the Key of G, however, during the harmonica solo in the middle of the song you need an F#, an hence the Chromatic is required.
It is very easy to use the diatonic harp on songs, while playing guitar as well. The same cannot be achieved with the Chromatic harmonica on Please Please Me, From Me To You and Love Me Do. The sliding bar will stick as well on the Chromatic and makes for some interesting East Indian scales if you are not careful.
It is a lot of fun to play harmonica on the Beatles' songs. Lennon did not play the harmonica well and so most average hackers, myself included, can do a reasonable job on the riffs and solos.
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:49 am
by chingnchime
Hey, thanks Peter. I 've always found it interesting that after what, '65 or so, we never heard him play it on any other Beatles songs, at least not audibly, to my knowledge. Guess he was tired of it and moved on. I'm what I call a 'wheezer', a la Dylan. I just like to give a song that harp flavor.