Comment by Stratoscope

That is so cool that you discovered those alternate positions!

Yes, "cross harp" is also known as second position. I have never explored the other positions as you have. There is so much to experiment with.

If you ever want to try the Melody Maker tuning, I would pick a song you want to play and get one in that key. I mentioned Dreams (A minor / High F Melody Maker) and You Make Loving Fun (Bb Melody Maker) for the female vocal parts.

Another one I have fun with is Wagon Wheel (the Darius Rucker version). It's in A Major, and yes, Lee Oskar does have an off the shelf Melody Maker in that key.

I do the fiddle part, which was quite a challenge to learn! And the organ part, which is much easier.

I can read music, slowly, but mostly I learn by ear. I used a site called Karaoke Version:

https://www.karaoke-version.com/

This site lets you create your own mix of instruments and vocals for any song.

First I made a mix with everything included, so I could play along with the fiddle and organ parts.

Once I had it down, I made a second mix with fiddle and organ dropped out so I could play those parts on my own. It still included the vocals.

Unfortunately, Karaoke Version later replaced the track with a much inferior version. I have no idea why! If anyone wants the two mixes I worked with (the one including fiddle and organ, and the one without), ping me and I can send them to you on the sly.