What Cross Harp (Second Position) Is

Your harmonica was built to play in a major key — on a C harmonica, that's the key of C. But by using the bending technique you've already been building up, you can take that same C harmonica, play it off the draw chord instead, and open up the key of G to play it in a bluesy way. This is called cross harp or second position, and once you learn it, you'll use it constantly: turn on almost any blues harmonica solo, and there's a strong chance you're hearing this exact scale.

Everything you've worked on so far: single-hole technique, draw bending, and getting those bends accurate — has been building toward this moment. This is why that groundwork mattered.

The Scale and Root Notes

Grab the lesson document for this step and take a look at the scale written out — you'll notice a few holes marked with red circles. Those are the root notes of the scale (since we're playing in G, they're your G notes).

When you practice, always start and end on a root note. This matters more than it might seem: starting on a different note, especially early on, makes it harder to actually hear what the scale is supposed to sound like. Starting and ending on the root gives your ear a clear reference point.

Playing the Full Scale

The scale runs from the 2 draw up through the 6 blow, and that's where you'll find the full run of bluesy tones — this is exactly the stretch where all your earlier bending work pays off.

One honest limitation worth knowing: even with bending, there are still a few notes missing once you go above the 6 hole, since not every hole can be bent yet at this stage (you'll fill in a couple more of those gaps later once you learn blow bending and overblows). Don't let that stop you from playing up there anyway — staying down low all the time is one of the most common mistakes beginners make. Get up high, explore the full range, and get the sound of the whole scale into your head, top to bottom. On its own, the scale might sound a little unusual — but as soon as you play it against a jam track with a full band behind it, you'll hear exactly why it works.

Teeing the Note

One more technique for this step: teeing a note. This is a way of adding extra definition to a note (or a bend you want to accentuate) by mouthing a "T" sound as you play — breathe in as normal, but touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth the way you would to say "T." Try it in isolation first: say "T" out loud and notice where your tongue lands. That's the motion you're bringing into your playing.

Practice teeing notes as you run through the blues scale — it adds a noticeably sharper, more defined edge to your sound.

What's Next

Nice work getting this far — the second position blues scale is one you'll come back to constantly. Keep practicing it until the sound is second nature, and I'll see you in Step 10, where we complete the beginner's course with our first blues tune.