How to play a Minor song (Summertime) on a Major harmonica

Many people think it's impossible to play in minor keys on a major key harmonica - I'm here to reveal the truth to you!

Ever wanted to play a groovy minor-key tune on your harmonica?

Do you need a minor key harmonica? No - although they are excellent instruments.

I'll show you how to play one tune in 3 minor keys on one normal harmonica.

I'll also show you 7 positions, 7 modes, and 7 pentatonic scales to help you improvise.

"Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin.

The song soon became a popular and much-recorded jazz standard, described as "without a doubt ... one of the finest songs the composer ever wrote ... Gershwin's highly evocative writing brilliantly mixes elements of jazz and the song styles of blacks in the southeast United States from the early twentieth century". Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim has characterized Heyward's lyrics for "Summertime" and "My Man's Gone Now" as "the best lyrics in the musical theater"

All seven modes in the middle register

These can be played all across the harmonica using bent notes.

C Ionian major mode 4 -4 5 -5 6 -6 -7 7 (1st position)

D Dorian minor mode (show you inside)

E Phrygian minor mode (show you inside)

F Lydian major mode (show you inside)

G Mixoydian major mode (show you inside)

A Aeolian minor mode (show you inside)

B Locrian minor mode (show you inside)

By the way, ‘Modes’ is a concept used by all instruments not just the harmonica. It’s in standard music theory.

‘Positions’ is a concept used by many instruments but has different meanings so Harmonica Positions is exclusive to the harmonica.