Search found 818 matches

by Brendan
Mon Feb 20, 2023 9:25 am
Forum: Interesting Alternative Harmonica Ideas
Topic: "Harmonica levers" - harmonica idea for irish trad players
Replies: 3
Views: 34589

Re: "Harmonica levers" - harmonica idea for irish trad players

Thanks for your message Roman. There is a historical free reed instrument that uses this principle of shortening the reed to get higher notes: the single-reed pitch pipe. John Cook did an excellent video on it, and actually made one from scratch: https://youtu.be/V_sPcJkstSo From time to time people...
by Brendan
Wed Feb 15, 2023 3:40 am
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: Magnetically Attractive Reedplate Sliders
Replies: 2
Views: 41502

Magnetically Attractive Reedplate Sliders

One of my best inventions so far! It has a lot of potential for many different types of harmonicas, I believe. https://youtu.be/0EZn2AKX40I (This invention is shared under a Creative Commons License: MAGNETICALLY ATTRACTIVE REEDPLATE SLIDERS © 2022 by Brendan Power is licensed under Attribution-NonC...
by Brendan
Sun Feb 05, 2023 8:57 pm
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: OVERBLOW-BOOSTER MK2 PARTS KIT - Retrofit Your Own Harp!
Replies: 0
Views: 41676

OVERBLOW-BOOSTER MK2 PARTS KIT - Retrofit Your Own Harp!

The Overblow-Booster Mk2 is now available as a Parts Kit to retrofit to your own harp. Here's a hands-on instructional video showing how it's done:

https://youtu.be/j-9AM5eahfY

Link to the Ordering page is in the Description.
by Brendan
Wed Feb 01, 2023 8:47 am
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions
Replies: 15
Views: 62515

Re: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions

As often Edvin, you take a single idea and run with it, extrapolating to new applications I hadn't considered. Always surprising and interesting 👍 The rocker arm design shown in my video relies on gravity to hang out of the way in the neutral position. So on conventional diatonic harmonicas it will ...
by Brendan
Tue Jan 31, 2023 6:35 pm
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions
Replies: 15
Views: 62515

Re: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions

TECH TUESDAY #2: Rocker Arm Reed Mute

With harmonicas, the Devil is in the Detail - small things matter a lot! This is a prime example: a quirky little gizmo I invented to do a critical reed-muting job on my SlipSlider Mk1 harmonica.

https://youtu.be/ojRZ6oXrCF4
by Brendan
Sun Jan 29, 2023 5:05 pm
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions
Replies: 15
Views: 62515

Re: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions

Thanks for your comments, Edvin. Regarding the advantage you described, of being able to shift the Staggered Reedplate slider whilst playing: it's true when compared to the SlipSlider Mk2 (Special 20 version), but in the MK1 and Mk3 SlipSliders I added Teflon spacer plates, which allow the lower dra...
by Brendan
Wed Jan 25, 2023 11:06 pm
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions
Replies: 15
Views: 62515

Re: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions

Yes, I think we've reached the same point: it's one or the other. Unless some blinding insight enabling both the C and B to bend appears, it seems this is the limit of the Staggered Reedplate design for Richter Tuning. But that's not a bad limit: 6 new bends, to give 14 total. If you use Paddy-Richt...
by Brendan
Wed Jan 25, 2023 3:17 pm
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions
Replies: 15
Views: 62515

Re: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions

I re-jigged the slider to work with the extra A reed (instead of extra C). This does maintain Richter tuning with slide out and give a draw bend on the B reed, but no blow bend on the C. I think this was what you meant, Edvin? Unfortunately it doesn't seem possible to get bends on both the C and B.....
by Brendan
Wed Jan 25, 2023 12:25 pm
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions
Replies: 15
Views: 62515

Re: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions

Hmmm... Looks as if (as always!) it's not so simple - if one wants to retain pure Richter Tuning with the slide out... I did a design adding an extra blow reed, making 11 reeds on top. However, in this version: 1. To get the C blow bend and D draw bend when I push the slider, the doubled reed needs ...
by Brendan
Wed Jan 25, 2023 11:23 am
Forum: Brendan's Custom Harmonicas, Tunings, etc
Topic: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions
Replies: 15
Views: 62515

Re: TECH TUESDAYS - Sharing Harmonica Inventions

Hmmm.... I'm trying to visualise the physical parts over a coffee, and starting to have some doubts about whether it's possible to retain pure Richter tuning with the slider out when adding this new reed and bending ability...

I need to go to the computer and draw it out. Talk soon...