Brendan Power & Alternative Harmonicas Forum

Oh dear Ramon and Triona, you're joining me on this tangential discussion somewhat off topic to Dominick's thread. I hope he doesn't mind! I'll try not to waffle on too much more, but just to answer a couple of your points: RAMON: you're right, for traditional Irish tunes, Solo, Easy Third, Paddy-Ri...

It's unfair to only highlight the mental inflexibility of Richter players - because exactly the same situation pertains with chromatic players. Their operating system lock is even stronger actually: they are not just wedded to one tuning of harmonica, but also just one key! Yes... You'd be amazed at...

Thanks for your interesting reply Dom. It's good to hear that younger players are looking around more widely at the myriad options our wonderfully multi-configurable instrument can offer them, rather than just accepting unquestioningly the two standard formats the manufacturers provide. However, it'...

I watched your video. Nice work Dom - your test apparatus certainly demonstrates the potential to work well for instant, accurate retuning on the fly once it's fitted with a spring. Regarding coverplate clearance, here are a couple of ideas: 1. Try putting a couple of spacers maybe 2-3mm thick at ea...

I'd be happy to design a set of gasket-valves for the Trochilus, but ideally I need a DXF file of the reedplates.

Dominick: with your CAD skills, is there a way you could scan the reedplates of your Trochilus and convert to DXF? If not, a graphics file with accurate dimensions would suffice.

Aren't magnets wonderful? Especially the small powerful neodymium ones we have now, in all shapes and sizes. I don't believe in any kind of god, spirit, essence whatever. But magnetism is a kind of magic for sure! Even though science might explain it logically, I never get over the wonder that these...

Nice work, Dom! Please send us a sound clip when you have it playing as you wish. Are you using ABS or PLA for your 3d printed parts? On some of my SlipSlider designs I attached a 1mm Teflon liner to the inside of the draw plate, to aid sliding and allow unhindered movement when the low reeds were s...

Interesting ideas as always, Edvin... I have some of these tiny magnets, and they attract well to Seydel steel reeds. I was looking into using them as reversible tuning weights: similar to the repeat-Blutak idea, but faster. Mixed success in that respect. In your application they would need to be gl...

Good to hear you're home and back on this interesting project, Dom. On a couple of points in your last post: "I find retuning chromatics much more tedious than retuning diatonics, each model seems to put the slide-in and slide-out reeds in different places. it's nowhere near as easy as a "draw plate...

Using a segment of a chromatic harmonica reedplate as your modular reed insert is a good idea Roman. One reed will need to be swapped over from draw to blow or vice versa, but it means both reeds will be on the same plane. That should make selective muting easier, although I still can't visualise a ...