Brendan Power

 
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Brendan Power Harmonica
This is the website for professional harmonica player/maker Brendan Power. Here you'll find my albums, custom harmonicas, instructional material, plus music to listen to, interesting stuff to read and links to click.

I'll always love playing and performing, but am equally engrossed by designing and making harmonicas. The two go hand-in-hand: to play the music I like in the way I want to, I've found the best way is to customise harmonicas in one way or another. All the harps I play are in one of my personal tunings, and I'm always experimenting with new possibilities.

For those interested in back stories there is info on my early playing years in New Zealand, and techie types can read the history of my many harmonica experiments and innovations over the years.

If you want to skip straight to the music albums, instructional material and custom harmonicas, just follow the appropriate links. Have fun!

Also check out our Special Offers on harmonicas, books, parts and more!

We are always happy to hear from players and customers and we have a Discussion Forum and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, so please check there before contacting us to see if you can find an answer to your query.

Video: THE BLACK NOTES - Brendan Power & The Sheriffs of Schroedingham

Feb 2023

Make your own Overblow-Booster! The Power-Parts kits are here.

Overblow-Booster Mk2 Parts Kits

Jan 2023

Brendan has started a new weekly series called TECH TUESDAY in which he explores some of his past inventions and innovations that have until this point been unseen.

TECH TUESDAY

Jan 2023

A small number of Brendan's Paddy Richter 10 hole harps are available again, at a reduced price.

Special Offers

June 2022 - The much-requested Overblow-Booster Mk2 is released!

*** Limited Edition ***

Overblow-Booster mk2

May 2022 - The SlipSlider Mk3 is here, and it's better than ever!

SlipSlider Mk3

Nov 2021 - The Modular-Reed Harmonica is here!

One of the big problems with harmonicas is that when a reed breaks, it is not easy to fix or replace it. Now, the new Modular-Reed Harmonica provides the solution. Each reed in the harmonica is separate and can easily be changed by the player, without any expert workshop skills needed. The other big and exciting advantage is that with the modular system you can easily change tunings and experiment away...

Modular-Reed Harmonica

Aug 2021 - miniMIDI-JOYstick released!

The successor to the mini PitchBender is here, offering far more possibilities and it can be fitted to nearly any instrument!

miniMIDI-JOYstick

UK-based New Zealander Brendan Power is acknowledged by many as one of the most creative, skilled & versatile harmonica players around today. Equally at ease on both the earthy Blues Harp as well as the sophisticated Chromatic Harmonica, he tunes them to his own scales to create a highly original style. He has recorded over twenty solo CDs to date, in a wide variety of musical genres.

Since he moved to Britain in 1992, Brendan's eclectic skills and sympathetic ear have made him an in-demand session player, leading to live and recording work with artists such as Kate Bush (her latest album 'Director's Cut'), Sting, Van Morrison, James Galway, Paul Young, Shirley Bassey, John Williams, Mike Batt and many more. Brendan Power His playing is also heard on many Hollywood movie soundtracks (eg. the 2008 Oscar winning soundtrack for 'Atonement', Jackie Chan's 'Shanghai Noon'), and internationally syndicated BBC TV series (eg. 'Billy Connelly in Canada', 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet', and Bruce Parry's 'Arctic' Series). He has featured on the world-renowned 'Jools Holland Show' and regularly toured worldwide, performing in venues such as China's Great Hall of the People, the Royal Albert Hall and The Kremlin. Brendan was voted "International Harmonica Player of the Year 2011/12" by the respected SPAH organisation of America.

In addition to his Pop, Jazz & Blues skills, Brendan is an expert player of Irish traditional music (winning the 1993 All Ireland Title), and performed for three years as soloist in the Riverdance Show. He has recorded with many well-known Irish artists including Donal Lunny, Altan, Paul Brady, Arcady, Artie McGlynn, Mary Black and others. In February 2012 Brendan and Tim Edey won the "Best Duo" title at the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

A respected harmonica technician & customiser, Brendan was employed for 5 years by Suzuki Musical Instruments Co. of Japan as their International Harmonica Specialist, during which time he helped Suzuki develop and promote most of their current range of diatonic and chromatic models. He left in April 2013 to pursue freelance projects. One is devoted to making high-performance extra-reed harmonicas for increased note-bending ability: X-Reed.com. In the course of this project Brendan taught himself CAD design and mastered the new generation of maker-machines such as 3d printers, laser cutters and CNC millers. Constantly inventing, he designs and creates a wide range of cutting-edge custom harmonicas in his home workshop, selling them all over the world to players seeking fresh sounds and better performance.

Brendan was recently added to a site honouring notable New Zealand musicians. Click the link below for a fascinating interview on his career plus early photos and videos:

Read Brendan's Profile at AudioCulture

"In Power are combined all the elements which make for a master player: remarkable technical skill, deep knowledge of the instrument, and a truly creative approach to the music." - THE IRISH TIMES, Dublin.

"...Power plays both diatonic and chromatic single-reed harmonicas with extraordinary dexterity, at times enough to make you shake your head in wonder. He will harp blow your socks off." - THE IRISH ECHO, New York.

"...dynamite Kiwi harp player...magic harmonica..." - TIME OUT, London.

"Power's dexterity is breathtaking...he takes the harmonica along paths you never suspected it could go. World class and wide ranging music." - NEW ZEALAND HERALD, Auckland.

"Brendan Power reaches astonishing heights of technical brilliance..." - THE GUARDIAN, London.
Brendan wins the Bernie Bray award
Brendan wins the prestigious Bernie Bray award "Harmonica Player of the Year" at Spah 2011 (photo)

REMOTE SESSIONS

Brendan is an experienced session harmonica player who has recorded with big-name artists like Sting and Kate Bush, as well as famous Hollywood movies and TV soundtracks (see Session Credits). He has a home studio for recording his own music, and has done many remote sessions for outside clients. These involve playing harmonica overdubs to pre-recorded tracks sent online. If you are interested in hiring Brendan, please get in touch with a link to your track and a description of what you want. The more detail you can provide, the closer you will get the harmonica to what you want. Or you can just trust to Brendan's taste and many years' experience, playing in a wide range of genres. He will try various approaches and only send back something he thinks works well with the track.

TERMS

Brendan will provide two takes per track, Mono 24bit 48k wav files, no effects or EQ, with a snatch of the master track at the front to act as a cue. Price for one track is GBP £125, for two or more £100 per track.
Brendan playing on Sting's Grammy Award-winning Ten Summoner's Tales
Brendan playing on Sting's Grammy Award-winning Ten Summoner's Tales
Brendan playing with Van Morrison, Donal Lunny and others

SESSION CREDITS

ALBUMS

  • KATE BUSH: Director's Cut
  • STING: Ten Summoners Tales
  • PAUL YOUNG: Paul Young
  • JAMES GALWAY: Un-Break My Heart
  • JOHN WILLIAMS: John Williams Plays the Movies
  • PAUL BRADY: Common Ground
  • MARY BLACK: Speaking With the Angel; Full Tide
  • ALTAN: Blackwater
  • SHIRLEY BASSEY: All By Myself
  • ARTIE McGLYNN: Causeway
  • ARCADY: Many Happy Returns

MOVIES

  • LEAP YEAR (2010) - Amy Adams
  • FAINTHEART (2008) - Mike Batt Composer
  • ATONEMENT (2007) Oscar Winning Soundtrack - Keira Knightly, James McAvoy
  • LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) - Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson
  • CROSSROADS (2002) - Britney Spears
  • LUCKY BREAK (2001) - Timothy Spall
  • SHANGHAI NOON (2000) - Jackie Chan
  • THE NEXT BEST THING (2000) - Madonna
  • PUSHING TIN (1999) - John Cusack, Cate Blanchett

TV SERIES

  • AUF WIEDERSEHEN PET (Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall)
  • PARADISE HEIGHTS (Neil Morrisey)
  • SUNSHINE (BBC Oct '08 - Steve Coogan)
  • BILLY CONNOLLY'S JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (2009-10)
  • BRUCE PARRY'S ARCTIC SERIES (2011)

Kate Bush - Director's Cut
Atonement (2007) Movie
Bruce Parry's Arctic Series

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