Power Chromatic

A space for players interested in my specialist harmonicas, alternate tunings, instructional material, recordings etc to ask questions and share information, experiences, videos etc.
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Brendan
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by Brendan » Sun Jul 02, 2017 7:48 am

The standard Easttop Dreamer model with welded reeds is good. It comes with black or silver covers:

https://www.amazon.com/Easttop-Dreamer- ... nica&psc=1

I don't know if there is enough demand for PowerChromatic at this stage to justify getting them specially made, but I'll consider it.

Sachlaw
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by Sachlaw » Wed Jul 12, 2017 7:28 pm

I retuned same model easttop in this tuning. It worked great. I'm going to modify it to have the start note on A but "HOME" at G. Seydel's new offering is also set up that way it appears.

It's great that Seydel is making PCs now, and we will see more people learning and playing and if we all cross our fingers crossed, maybe Brendan will write a book like the powerbender book. Just a handful of good runs per position is all you need to get cracking into a key in this tuning.

I have been appoaching PC by focusing on modes. I know some run from modes, but they seem to come out fairly natural in PC and from there I have been working on melodies and figuring out what sort of artifacts come up with the different embrochures. Muscle memory comes fast when you have all this symmetry.

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Brendan
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by Brendan » Wed Jul 19, 2017 10:49 pm

Actually PowerBender is the same as PowerChromatic for some of its range. On a 10-hole harp, the scale from hole 4 to hole 8 is PowerChromatic. So some of the stuff from my PowerBender book/CD will transfer over.

I'm just awaiting a Seydel in PC to use to make an explanatory video on the tuning. It makes sense becuase Seydel is offering them. Half-valved chromatics need to be very airtight, and I haven't tried a Seydel chrom half-valved. Hope it works OK!

Paris
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by Paris » Thu Aug 17, 2017 6:58 am

A little while ago I bought an SCX-48 in the key of A and tuned it to G(PC) and half-valved it. Absolutely love it! Very responsive and airtight even if you don't emboss it. Helps a lot to minimize blow reed gaps.

Looking forward to that power chromatic video Brendan!

rishio
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by rishio » Mon Aug 28, 2017 10:00 am

I was just reading about the PowerChromatic tuning and noticed it is very similar the middle octave of Powerdraw, except with the F sharpened like the country tuning. I always thought Powerdraw should have been CD EG GB CD EF' GA AB CD EG AC (note the F Sharp). Anyhow, now I'm wondering why PowerChromatic is not more like Powerbender's middle octave of CD DE FG AB CD.

Given the way things are today, it seems that if a person wanted to play a PowerChromatic and 'PowerDiatonic' harmonicas, they should adopt the PowerDraw tuning in a diatonic, but with an F-Sharp in the 5th Draw so that they could have the same exact pattern to play like it is with the Richter and Solo tuning - CD EF GA CB.

My ideal for a chromatic tuning, I think, would be a powerbender based tuning where the shared pattern for both is CD DE FG AB CD.

FYI - I've never played a Chromatic before - just trying to wrap my head around it. I'm exclusively a Powerbender Diatonic Player.

rishio
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by rishio » Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:57 pm

I just noticed PowerChromatic is the same as PowerBender if you start on hole 3 but almost the same as PowerDraw if you start on hole 1. Is there any place I can read more about this tuning? It has me a bit baffled. I mean, if it's meant to be like Powerbender, why isn't it like this:

CD DE FG AB CD DE FG AB CD DE FG AB

rather than this:

CD EF' GA AB CD EF' GA AB CD EF' GA AB

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IaNerd
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by IaNerd » Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:23 pm

I see that Seydel's Configurator can specify PowerChromatics down to LB (B2, 123Hz). Would this tuning function well in that low register?

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Brendan
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by Brendan » Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:39 pm

@ Rishio: Yes indeed, PowerChromatic and PowerBender have one octave in common. PowerChromatic is a symmetrical tuning: every octave is the same. PowerBender has PowerChromatic in the mid-range holes 4-7, but diverges in the bottom and top range. Richter holes 1-3, and a repeat of Richter holes 8-10 (with one note difference in hole 10).

PowerDraw is the same as PowerBender in the top range 7-10, but the same as standard Richter holes 1-6.

There are many mixes and variations you can use these scales in, and you can shift them up or down as well. All through the 1980s I was playing what I called Regular Breath tuning on 11 hole Stretch Harps:

CD EG GB CD EF# GA AB CD EF# GA CB

You can see that PowerChromatic and PowerBender are in there too, but shifted a bit. It's a good tuning; I used it exclusively on my first cassette album Country Harmonica 1984:
http://www.brendan-power.com/CountryHarmonica.php

and on some tracks of my first CD State of the Harp 1990:
http://www.brendan-power.com/StateOfTheHarp.php

Paris
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by Paris » Sun Sep 24, 2017 9:52 am

Brendan,
How would you say the easttop dreamer compares to the chromatix scx-48 or the cx12 in general quality?

I would like to try an Easttop for converting to PC but I want to make sure its a quality harp or i'll just stick with the chromatix or cx12, which i love!

Thanks!

Nick

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Brendan
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Re: Power Chromatic

Post by Brendan » Mon Sep 25, 2017 9:57 am

I like the Easttop chroms. They have a very airtight slider/mouthpiece and good reed/slot tolerances, so they work well for half-valving.

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