Page 4 of 4

Re: Lucky 13 in PowerBender, PowerDraw & Paddy Richter

Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 10:09 pm
by rishio
I noticed that in the video you mentioned Powerbender is not well suited for tongue-block. I've acquired a 100% tongue-block style, and being fairly new to the harmonica, I'm wondering why Powerbender is not good for tongue-blocking. It concerns me a bit as I go deeper into the tuning using tongue-blocking.

Re: Lucky 13 in PowerBender, PowerDraw & Paddy Richter

Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 7:32 am
by Tyler
tongue blocked single notes are still fine, and a lot of tongue block techniques work on the PowerBender. Octaves, low octave vamping, etc. It's when you play the middle octave with tongue blocking accompaniment that things get funny. 5 blow is now the root of the V chord in crossharp, but holes 1-4 blow are the IV chord, so there's no real tongue switching or splits to be had. Same on the draw. Where the dominant 7th of the I cord used to be is now the major 6th / 3rd note of the IV chord. No real opportunities for tongue blocking there either.

Short version: the notes in the lower octave won't sound right with some of the notes in the other octaves when played together, as you would with tongue techniques.

Re: Lucky 13 in PowerBender, PowerDraw & Paddy Richter

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:30 pm
by rishio
I suppose I can live with that though I'm not clear what I am losing out on yet. Many of the harmonica players I like lip purse anyway - I mainly tongue block everything because it's way more comfortable for me than lip pursing. Bending notes hasn't been a problem for me using tongue-block. I'll probably end up using chords and multiple holes at once for adding extra texture. We'll see as I get better the next several years how I feel about the tuning. Hopefully I made the right choice (I never played Richter) because I already invested a solid year and a half on it exclusively and I love it so far! The only other tuning that interests me is Powerdraw but the fact that you can't draw-bend the hole 5 feels annoying to me.

Re: Lucky 13 in PowerBender, PowerDraw & Paddy Richter

Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 8:04 pm
by Sachlaw
@rishio
I primarily TB on only Power Bender and Power Chromes now. You aren't missing out on anything that you can't live without.

When I first picked up the PB, coming from Richter, I started focusing on TBing both sides and forward. It really helped me overcome the "different-soundedness" of PB to my ear. Now it sounds more natural than Richter. I do keep an Ab handy in Power Draw, so I can play the melodies, Octave, etc that people's ears are used to hearing on the harp. (at least on the first 6 holes) I don't think I could ever give up the 7-10 hole configuration.

Re: Lucky 13 in PowerBender, PowerDraw & Paddy Richter

Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:05 pm
by rishio
What is a Power Chrome? And since you use both Powerbender and Powerdraw, What do you like better about powerbender than powerdraw? They seem really similar. I tongue block holes 1-3 on the left side and holes 4-10 on the right side, though this may evolve over time. So glad I learned to tongue-block. I agree about the 7-10 config - that would bother me so much it they flipped it like Richter!
Sachlaw wrote:
Fri Aug 18, 2017 8:04 pm
@rishio
I primarily TB on only Power Bender and Power Chromes now. You aren't missing out on anything that you can't live without.

When I first picked up the PB, coming from Richter, I started focusing on TBing both sides and forward. It really helped me overcome the "different-soundedness" of PB to my ear. Now it sounds more natural than Richter. I do keep an Ab handy in Power Draw, so I can play the melodies, Octave, etc that people's ears are used to hearing on the harp. (at least on the first 6 holes) I don't think I could ever give up the 7-10 hole configuration.

Re: Lucky 13 in PowerBender, PowerDraw & Paddy Richter

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 7:18 pm
by Sachlaw
rishio wrote:
Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:05 pm
What is a Power Chrome?

And since you use both Powerbender and Powerdraw, What do you like better about powerbender than powerdraw?
Power Chrome, Power Chromatic, or "PC" Is a Brendan Power alt tuning for a chromatic. The best way to explain this is if you are already using the Power Bender tuning, then imagine you have the middle octave notes repeating on a chromatic, this will give you a consistent breath pattern across the entirety of the holes. Brendan Power uses this tuning often and Seydel is now producing Chromatic using the tuning. There is a thread started by Gnarly where it is discussed in detail by Brendan and others. It sounds like you are committed to the PB tuning, so you are learning the PC pattern as you pass through the middle octave anyway, so you already know a bit about the PC tuning :) So come over to that thread and join us.

What I like better about Power Bender v. Power Draw, is that the PB has that middle octave, which makes its sound so different. Assuming we are talking about a C tuned PB harp, it also opens up the E and Eb for smooth draw bends in the middle octave. Power Draw keeps the 1-6 holes consistent with Richter, which has its own set of applications and sounds great also. I would say that I probably prefer the PB, because it does "not" sound like that old classic harp sound, and I find myself much more driven to melodic playing when I improvise. The beauty of these alt tunings is while they may eliminate or have the effect of forcing to rework a technique/passage, they create a new "sound."

I would stick to what you enjoy and touch on the PD tuning periodically (if you have one handy), if only to notice the differences in the tunings. (holes 4-6).

Re: Lucky 13 in PowerBender, PowerDraw & Paddy Richter

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 5:36 am
by rishio
Interesting. I'm not as attached to the traditional blues harp sound and the powerbender flows really well with me so I plan on sticking with it. I was just curious about Powerdraw. Sound aside, I might have considered Powerdraw if you could draw bend that hole 5. It's somehow really enjoyable to me, in the heat of the moment, to not think about where I am and know I can draw bend anywhere. Of course Powerdraw has more octaves amd switch stuff, so they say - win some, lose some. I like the idea of knowing a tuning like the back of my hand and, for better or worse, I chose Powerbender. Almost 2 years later it still feels like a great choice. Thankfully Seydel is around and makes them! One silly tidbit, but one reason I was curious about the Powerbender from the start is because it had the coolest name of any other tuning I heard!

Though I've never played it, I'm not so much into Chromatic Harps. The bends and simplicity are what attracts me to the diatonic. I've already got my hands full learning it! Power Chromatic sounds interesting though so I'll check it out.
Sachlaw wrote:
Mon Aug 21, 2017 7:18 pm
rishio wrote:
Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:05 pm
What is a Power Chrome?

And since you use both Powerbender and Powerdraw, What do you like better about powerbender than powerdraw?
Power Chrome, Power Chromatic, or "PC" Is a Brendan Power alt tuning for a chromatic. The best way to explain this is if you are already using the Power Bender tuning, then imagine you have the middle octave notes repeating on a chromatic, this will give you a consistent breath pattern across the entirety of the holes. Brendan Power uses this tuning often and Seydel is now producing Chromatic using the tuning. There is a thread started by Gnarly where it is discussed in detail by Brendan and others. It sounds like you are committed to the PB tuning, so you are learning the PC pattern as you pass through the middle octave anyway, so you already know a bit about the PC tuning :) So come over to that thread and join us.

What I like better about Power Bender v. Power Draw, is that the PB has that middle octave, which makes its sound so different. Assuming we are talking about a C tuned PB harp, it also opens up the E and Eb for smooth draw bends in the middle octave. Power Draw keeps the 1-6 holes consistent with Richter, which has its own set of applications and sounds great also. I would say that I probably prefer the PB, because it does "not" sound like that old classic harp sound, and I find myself much more driven to melodic playing when I improvise. The beauty of these alt tunings is while they may eliminate or have the effect of forcing to rework a technique/passage, they create a new "sound."

I would stick to what you enjoy and touch on the PD tuning periodically (if you have one handy), if only to notice the differences in the tunings. (holes 4-6).