‘Running to stand still’ Harmonica

[steak]

At the end of ‘Running to stand still’ on the rattle and hum DVD Bono plays a beautiful harmonica track does any one what key it’s in? All I have is C and E and they don’t fit and it just seems strange to sing it without playing the harmonica at the end.

Thanks

Steak

[discothequeLP]

Try A or D because I think thats what the song is in.

[Bono B. Jones]

Originally posted by steak
At the end of ‘Running to stand still’ on the rattle and hum DVD Bono plays a beautiful harmonica track does any one what key it’s in? All I have is C and E and they don’t fit and it just seems strange to sing it without playing the harmonica at the end.

Thanks

Steak

Hey steak, it's in the key of D. I know cause I'm Bono in a Tribute band and we play it. It's fairly easy to play, I learned it after a few attempts and I'm a novice harmonica player.

Hope this helps.

Jason. "The Electric Co." L.A.'s U2 Tribute.

[steak]

Thanks guys, i just ordered an A and a D harmonica, I know i won't use them both on RTSS but i'm sure i could use them on some of my band's songs.

Don't suppose they are the same keys as desire's and trip through your wire's harmonicas are they, that would be a bonus

[Bono B. Jones]

Originally posted by steak
Thanks guys, i just ordered an A and a D harmonica, I know i won't use them both on RTSS but i'm sure i could use them on some of my band's songs.

Don't suppose they are the same keys as desire's and trip through your wire's harmonicas are they, that would be a bonus

Yes, Desire is in A. Not sure about TTYW though, haven't played that one yet.

Good luck! It's a fun instrument that's not that hard to learn.

Jason.

[bradyvox]

Hi

Trip Through Your Wires is a "C" harp.

Remember, if you want to play along to U2's live versions, you would need:

Desire: Ab (I think Desire is a half-step down on the studio
version too)
RTTS: Db
TTYW: B

Bono used a Db harp during In God's Country (acoustic) a couple times during the end of the Elevation Tour.

Cheers.

Brady

[steak]

Db? dam, does that mean the D harp i just ordered won't work sound right? I do i just have to play it cross harp...

[bradyvox]

If you are playing in a live band and your band uses standard tuning then a D harp will work.

If you are playing along with the Joshua Tree album it will work.

BUT.....

If you are playing along with the Rattle and Hum DVD it won't work (because U2 plays that song in Db live).

Hope this makes sense to you....

[steak]

Yeah thanks, it makes sense, it's just a shame because thats what i wanted to try and play along with.

So i need to look for a Db harp right? Should i go and try to order that? I'm quite a newbie to harmonicas so could you tell me how many diffrent ones there are?

[bradyvox]

There is a harmonica for every single note.

I don't know that much either - I just sort of taught myself...

Usually you would get a harp in the same key as the song (i.e. if a song is in "A" you would get an "A" harp)

HOWEVER, for blues type songs (Desire, Trip Through Your Wires
etc...) you get a harp that is 5 semi tones higher (so if a Blues song is in "E", you would get an "A" harp)

Those are the only rules I know and they are very general.

Heart of Gold by Neil Young is in Em and for some reason the correct harp is a "C" - not sure why....

If your main goal is to play along to RTTS live on the DVD then you will need to order a Db.

Of course you could always play along to the Joshua Tree album with your D harp and it would work...

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Brady

[steak]

Mostly my dad has tought me what i know, which is very little. Although he is pretty good on these things.

I really like the fact that on the DVD Bono's harmonica is quite a bit more pronounced than on the album, i like that.

I just then got my C harp out and tired to go along to TTYW on the album and to my surprise it actually fitted quite well when sucking 5 and blowing 4... Which is really cool

I'll see if i can't find a Db harp, but the album version isn't that bad so i'll see how i do with that.

Thanks for all the help

[sledgrrl]

Hey, this is just the info I was lookin for. I spend a lot of time out in the wilds of Alberta on drilling rigs, pipelines etc... I have so much time on my hands, I thought pickin up a harmonica would be a good way to pass the time.

"when I was three, I thought the world revolved around me..."
Sledgrrl

[darthhawk125]

I will be performing Desire and I am in the process of looking for a harmonica for the performance. What exactly do I need? I will be playing in the same key as the studio/live versions.

Any recommendations?

Thanks