Harmonica Scales in 1st, 2nd, 3rd Positions | Major, Minor & Blues Scale Lesson

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In today's harmonica lesson I'll walk you through some useful scales for 1st, 2nd and 3rd position.
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Intro to Positions lesson - • Harmonica Positions Ex...
TIMESTAMPS -
00:00 Intro
00:33 First Position
00:51 Major Scale in 1st
01:37 Major Pentatonic in 1st
03:07 Second Position
03:47 Major Pentatonic in 2nd
04:29 Major Scale in 2nd
05:57 Minor Pentatonic in 2nd
06:37 Blues Scale in 2nd
07:35 Third Position
07:46 Minor Pentatonic in 3rd
08:28 Minor Scale in 3rd
09:23 Blues Scale in 3rd
10:26 Major Scales in 3rd
12:36 Outro

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thanks for watching! Start your 30 day FREE trial of my harmonica school today - www.learntheharmonica.com/members-zone-signup

[@MarlaErin]

I love carrying a harmonica for helping with my anxiety and stress ~ it helps me focus on my breathing and the sound and vibration are so relaxing 🙏🏼✨

[@Learntheharmonica]

I love this! The harmonica is such a great little instrument for so many reasons. Glad it helps you.

[@bgneeco7526]

An excellent informative, comprehensive and clear lesson on the scales you need to know. Thanks.

[@billwoodman1222]

This is an area where I need a lot of work. Trying to understand the positions and scales has eluded me, but I admit I haven't been able to put the time in properly to understand them. I also really like how you showed how to play the same song in the different positions. I feel this is very valuable and will definitely be referencing this video until I have it down, thanks again.

[@OnceTheyNamedMeiWasnt]

You are beyond amazing, brilliant and the best! Thanks

[@NutSAK955]

My grandfather gave me a harmonica a few years before he passed and I wanted to learn to play it but I had no idea where to start. Your videos are incredibly helpful. Keep on rocking bubba!

[@johntaylor9381]

Best harmonica channel on KZbin. Keep up the good work!

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thanks so much John!

[@MrSolarcell]

Great video! Exactly what I was looking for. Explained positions and scales so clear! Thank you for your wonderful job!

[@Learntheharmonica]

You’re welcome 😎

[@samuelsukenik5008]

Hello, amazing lesson, you are best! Thanks!

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thank you! 😃

[@ikust007]

Very good and well explained. Thank you

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're welcome 😎

[@DustyRichardspdx]

I've often felt there's something about pentatonic scales and how to think about them in my playing or listening that I've somehow just missed over the years. I already had a solid understanding of the basic major scale and minor scales, and the very basics of modes. I think the first time the pentatonic scale came up was when I started to learn guitar a couple years later. so it became more about fretboard layout and hand positions, but mentally I never could think of it as anything other than the same exact major scale where I'm simply deliberately skipping two scale degrees. and still to this day I can't conceive of pentatonic scales any other way. and if I'm improvising, I am virtually never considering whether I'm deliberately skipping those two particular half step notes or not. I'm not especially vexed by this mental handicap (hangup?) aside from the nagging feeling that I'm missing out on something that others understand a level higher. Let's say I'm about to sit in on a jam taking some solos. real simple stuff, bar Rock, few chords, repetitive sections. genre stylistic stuff, you know the drill. Any key is just fine, if no one shouts out the key, I'll figure it out within the first couple chord changes, no worries there. If they tell me the key, I'll come in with a little more confidence but I don't even care if I know it's relative major or minor, Am and C, Em and G...etc. because I'll hear that so intuitively that so naturally I don't need to be told. if it's some mode I'm not used to, there will be some stumbling out of the gate. but my ears are good enough that I will get there. I bet a good portion of musicians reading this could manage what I just described more or less. but here's my great pentatonic conundrum... if the song is for example E minor (or G), which happens to be possibly a key that I've use more often than others, my fingers know where they're at and my brain has a mental map of the fretboard, a great jam for me is being in the zone and hearing exactly what I want to do in my brain and my fingers doing their best to follow that mental fretboard map and generally I say 90 to 95% of the notes I hit are the ones I thought I meant to hit, if that last 5 to 10% are mostly happy accidents and avoid egregious unexpected visits outside the key- that right there is a good ass jam. Next song... calls out E minor pentatonic or G major pentatonic. and that's it. I have nothing else to contribute musically. I would go through the exact same mental process, and be fully on aware of any difference in terms of how well it sounds to my ear. unlike my previous examples I don't think I could unconsciously adjust, at best I could really focus on avoiding playing any F#s or Cs, and it would be at the cost of musicality because I'm sure I would still be hearing passages and licks in my brain that may well have some of those notes outside of the pentatonic five. I sincerely appreciate any of you with the patience and free time to have read through all this. probably way more long-winded than I needed to be. but this is actually a question that has bothered me a little tiny bit for a very long time. surely there are some of you out there that can relate to what I'm describing. is there a saintly and generous musician out there with that bit of knowledge that will lead me to the answers I seek

[@lwinlwin8995]

I knew playing positions of harmonica after watching your teaching video. I will try to play positions of harmonica with your teaching video. Then I will try to play song melodies with positions of harmonica and your way. You are very nice. I respect you with your sharing and teaching. You are my harmonica teacher. brother

[@Learntheharmonica]

I'm really glad you liked the video, and best of luck to you! 😎

[@user-ey7rp6bl2n]

at least i find such info in structural and comprehensive form not for professional musuciant! Thanks!!!

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're very welcome!

[@lwinlwin8995]

Thank you for sharing and teaching. brother

[@Learntheharmonica]

My pleasure 😎

[@merlinswhiskerssw]

Great lesson 😎👍 Many thanks ! 🎶🔅🔆🔅🎶

[@Learntheharmonica]

Glad you liked it! 😎

[@harmanss6077]

Very good Harmonica lesson 👌👌.I have Hohner Rocket and Golden Melody C scale harmonicas. Golden Melody is very good for bending and vibrato. But, Rocket is somewhat difficult to bend though it sounds loudly. You also used G.M in this lesson ! 😬 All the best 👍👍

[@lcdee5982]

Thank you again for another great informative video 🙏

[@Learntheharmonica]

No problem, thanks for watching 😎

[@agriciobrazil2391]

Thanks!

[@emiliopilar2009]

It was a hard piece of work, but i finally understand the scale chaos. Thanks for the enlightenment! 😀

[@Learntheharmonica]

No problem, happy to help!

[@Klaus01neraktraining]

Thanks for posting 5his tutorial. It was very helpful! 🇨🇦👍🎵🎶

[@Learntheharmonica]

I'm glad it helped, Klaus!

[@davidarchuleta8446]

Great ,Thank You

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

[@renedunkel6696]

Well explained

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thanks!

[@udayanbanerjee9107]

Nicely explained. Thank you.

[@Learntheharmonica]

Glad you liked it! 😎

[@santoshsahoo1466]

Respected sir, very nice information sir,Thanks

[@michaelmcgannon]

excellent! Top! Keep going!

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thank you!

[@satyamshivamsundaram-shahed]

Totally confuSSSed!!! I wish I had some basic knowledge to understand Scales and Positions!! Great Effort though! Cheers!!

[@Klaus01neraktraining]

Great tutorial.🇨🇦👌

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thanks 👍

[@dennismorgan3481]

Thank You

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're welcome

[@houstonsam6163]

Many thanks for this comprehensive tour of scales in the first three positions; at my "intermediate beginner" level this is a fantastic summary. I never see Internet Harmonica teachers talking about 4th position, the relative minor of the tonic. I find that scale difficult since it begins on the three draw whole step bend, but I do try practicing it. Why does it get so little attention?

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're welcome! 4th position isn't mentioned much because most players prefer to use 3rd for the minor scale - 3rd requires more bends but is generally thought to be be more expressive and emotional than 4th. Do what works for you though! 😎

[@happybackchiropractic]

Your control of the harp is amazing. Do you use custom harps? If so, who do you recommend?

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thanks so much! In this video I'm using a Hohner Golden Melody.

[@dinogoldie9716]

The obvious question: why not say the blows/sucks for the full ten hole range? Also, do you have a scales video for 12th position?

[@joet4332]

Thank you Liam! Great lesson to see how all these scales relate in 3 positions. I understand the Greek terms 1st Ionion, 2nd Mixolydian & 3rd Dorian......but, if the "Ionian Mode" is the same as the 1st position major scale, why isn't the "Mixolydian Mode" the same as the 2nd position major scale? When somebody says they are playing in the mixolidian mode, are they not playing 2nd position major scale? And ditto for "Dorian Mode" & 3rd position major scale.

[@Learntheharmonica]

Glad you found it helpful! Choosing a position just tells you the location of the tonal centre on the harp. So 2nd position means your tonic is on 2 draw, 3 blow, 6 blow, 9 blow. To play the mixolydian in 2nd (G on a C harp) would be to play -2 -3// -3 4 -4 5 -5 6 (or 6 -6 -7 7 -8 8 -9 9). The major scale in 2nd would replace the -5 with a 5 overblow (or the -9 with a 9 blow bend) so they're not the same thing. They would, however, contain the same notes as the C major scale, so the major scale in 1st position contains the same notes as the mixolydian in 2nd. I hope this makes sense!

[@landztranz]

Thanks for this! What harp are you playing here? Is it out of the box?

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're welcome. It's a Hohner Golden Melody out of the box.

[@sandrolopesharp2845]

Thanks Liam. Real interesting lesson! I have a question: We can play these same scales with diferents key harmonicas. The only thing that changes is the key that we are playing. Is this correct?

[@ER-me1ii]

Yes correct. Every diatonic harp is layed out exactly the same relative to the key it’s in. So a c major scale on a c major harp uses exactly the same holes as a d major scale on d major harp. Harp layouts on standard richter tuned harps are identical in every key. Know one major scale, switch harps you’ll know the major or any other scale for that matter.

[@lwinlwin8995]

Harmonica positions of pictures will understand to know for me. brother

[@Subhabrata]

Only one question, if I may... In a C harmon8ca, why major scale is getting started from D in second position?

[@lwinlwin8995]

Can single notes play song melody? Are single notes and scales same or not same? brother

[@lwinlwin8995]

Can Scales play song melody? brother

[@jobbible6338]

I have a harmonica encyclopedia. I am trying to figure out why some things are not lining up. My book states that what you are playing is a G minor on a Bb harmonica in second position. Unsure why that book I have and what you are saying is the minor penatonic scale are differing. I am truly asking to see if I can get an explanation or an answer that makes sense. Thank you.

[@Learntheharmonica]

Can you quote exactly what your book says? G is the relative minor to Bb, which is 4th position on the harmonica. You can use a circle of fifths to count the positions, I have videos on it.

[@jobbible6338]

@@Learntheharmonica I've done a bit of research since I commented and found out that you can play multiple minors on C harp. I was confused because I assumed that you were doing C's relative minor so I kept coming up with the wrong math correlating with my book(Encyclopedia of scales for harmonica).

[@futuresdojo]

3 draw half step bend... What does that mean?

[@Learntheharmonica]

It's possible to change the pitch of certain notes, which is called bending. 3 draw half step bend means to bend the 3 draw note down a half-step (semitone). Here's a video on bending - kzbin.info/www/bejne/moWagZ6gqdhqj6M