Brendan Power & Alternative Harmonicas Forum

Given a tuning that repeats in different octaves, one always faces the question which notes to start on. A classical example is the Orchestra tuning, where a Solo tuning has been shifted to fit better to certain tunes in certain keys. For a spiral tuned harp, where the notes of a diatonic scale lie ...

It’s an interesting idea, but I don’t like the idea of the note shifting with every different key of harp. I feel like I’d have to make that mental adjutment everytime I switch harps and remember things such as where my root notes are in each key which feels which like it would be more of a mental ...

Hey Edvin, I think I understand your thoughts but not sure. Here are mine. I like to use the full harmonica from hole 1 - hole 10. A G-Key harp is the lowest I can go and still control the low end bends of the harmonica, and A-harp would be the highest I'd like to go without getting too screechy at...

Thank you Rishio for the well thought comparison! It has served as nice holiday reading and food for thought :) Getting by with few harmonicas is something I can relate to, though my approach is quite different. I generally carry two or three different tunings which I play in a handful of keys and m...

This looks like a chromatic adaptation of a tuning fairly common in Asia. It sort of relates to the Richter tuning, but the relationship is not obvious if you have not seen it. Start with the following slight variation of the Richter tuning: (only 2 draw is altered) c e g c e g c e g c d a b d f a b...

I think the post is interesting, like most of your posts, but it is nearly impossible for me to read it. I copied your post below and edited it in three simple steps: 1. I marked the tuning, and while it was marked I clicked the button marked </>, above the text box. 2. After the notes containing on...

Merry Christmas!

May your holidays be nice and harmonic! (poor pun intended )

Edit: It just occurred to me that for most people Christmas is not until tomorrow! Anyway, in Sweden the big day is today, so I'll keep the post.
And for all the swedes:
GOD JUL!

While we await a response from Brendan, one way of producing nice sheet music for harmonicas is by using the abc-format, see www.abcnotation.com . This is what I use. It is a system where you take normal text and translate it into sheet music. For example, I made the following earlier this year: X:1...

I still like the PowerBender. Have been using it exclusively for almost 3 years now. I find the Will Wilde tuning a bit eccentric with the double blow E in holes 5 & 6 blow and don’t like the lack of a bendability in hole 5 draw. Powerbender is a nicer balance of simplicity and flexibility for a ge...

The order is placed now! In the end I went with the following sort-of-slide-diatonic version: Blow: Slide in g# a d f g# a d f g# a d f Slide out g a c e g a c e g a c e 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Draw: Slide out a b d f a b d f a b d f Slide in bb c# e g bb c# e g bb c# e g Though I at first intend...