Hey Brendan,
Not quite yet. I had been practicing a lot but I fell ill in Asia with Tuberculosis and the financial strain plus health challenges put a damper on practicing for 3 months. I am better now and back on it - but not quite ready to share. I suppose that’s the ultimate answer on how the tuning is going. I do plan to do harmonica soundtracks for short films I’m working on and will get back to this thread, but it still may be some time - I just started learning harmonica, and music in general, 3 years ago! So yeah, next time I hope to do the talking with music!
PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
.. deleted post ..
Last edited by rishio on Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Some ED samples as I slowly improve..
https://www.facebook.com/566261627/post ... FKcN3q8Cl/
https://www.facebook.com/566261627/post ... uAjT44unl/
https://www.facebook.com/566261627/post ... FKcN3q8Cl/
https://www.facebook.com/566261627/post ... uAjT44unl/
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Sounding good Rishio!
As I think we discussed earlier in the thread, I've used my own version of ED Tuning for many years. It's the same repeating scale, but starts on a hole higher up. It's the bottom octave of Paddy Richter (or Melody Maker) repeated, so I call it Paddy-Extended. ED uses the same scale but starts a hole lower (in the key of C, ED would start on A, and PE would start on C).
Either way, it's an excellent Hexatonic scale for the harmonica! I have quite a few different types of harps using it, especially X-Reed types. Most of the tracks on my 2012 album "New Chinese Harmonica" use various X-Reed harps in Paddy-Extended:
https://www.brendan-power.com/NewChineseHarmonica.php
I see you're in Taipei! I've visited and played in Taiwan, and have some good friends in the harmonica community there. Great place and nice people! Long may they enjoy their peaceful democratic life
As I think we discussed earlier in the thread, I've used my own version of ED Tuning for many years. It's the same repeating scale, but starts on a hole higher up. It's the bottom octave of Paddy Richter (or Melody Maker) repeated, so I call it Paddy-Extended. ED uses the same scale but starts a hole lower (in the key of C, ED would start on A, and PE would start on C).
Either way, it's an excellent Hexatonic scale for the harmonica! I have quite a few different types of harps using it, especially X-Reed types. Most of the tracks on my 2012 album "New Chinese Harmonica" use various X-Reed harps in Paddy-Extended:
https://www.brendan-power.com/NewChineseHarmonica.php
I see you're in Taipei! I've visited and played in Taiwan, and have some good friends in the harmonica community there. Great place and nice people! Long may they enjoy their peaceful democratic life
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Hey Brendan,
I’d be happy to change the name of the Title for this thread (not sure how to). I kind of don’t know why I called it one tuning compared to another. They both have their advantages and disadvantages - and this is your forum so my full respect to the history of the tuning as you say. I am fully committed to it and it’s working out well for me. I view it as more of a pentatonic tuning and it’s intuitive to improvise with. As you said in your book, the pentatonic scale is like money in the bank (or something like that).
Powerbender is what got me into harmonica in the first place and my first harmonica was your Powerbender ones, maybe about 5 years ago. These alternative tuning really helped me learn the harmonica faster - though I have a very long way to go. I don’t plan to ever use another tuning, though I’m keeping an eye out for new innovations in the harmonica world. And now you got me excited about the iPad Harmonica Studio and I’ve gone down that rabbit hole. I don’t think I’ll use Amps again either now.
Yup, I live in Taipei. It is a nice place. I’m curious who you know here. I really only know one diatonic harp player here who does this crazy jazzy stuff - and very few seem to know what a harmonica is - at least the diatonic one. I still consider myself a newbie in this world and someday I’d like to meet some of the great harp players. If you ever come up here again…!!
I’d be happy to change the name of the Title for this thread (not sure how to). I kind of don’t know why I called it one tuning compared to another. They both have their advantages and disadvantages - and this is your forum so my full respect to the history of the tuning as you say. I am fully committed to it and it’s working out well for me. I view it as more of a pentatonic tuning and it’s intuitive to improvise with. As you said in your book, the pentatonic scale is like money in the bank (or something like that).
Powerbender is what got me into harmonica in the first place and my first harmonica was your Powerbender ones, maybe about 5 years ago. These alternative tuning really helped me learn the harmonica faster - though I have a very long way to go. I don’t plan to ever use another tuning, though I’m keeping an eye out for new innovations in the harmonica world. And now you got me excited about the iPad Harmonica Studio and I’ve gone down that rabbit hole. I don’t think I’ll use Amps again either now.
Yup, I live in Taipei. It is a nice place. I’m curious who you know here. I really only know one diatonic harp player here who does this crazy jazzy stuff - and very few seem to know what a harmonica is - at least the diatonic one. I still consider myself a newbie in this world and someday I’d like to meet some of the great harp players. If you ever come up here again…!!
Brendan wrote: ↑Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:34 am Sounding good Rishio!
As I think we discussed earlier in the thread, I've used my own version of ED Tuning for many years. It's the same repeating scale, but starts on a hole higher up. It's the bottom octave of Paddy Richter (or Melody Maker) repeated, so I call it Paddy-Extended. ED uses the same scale but starts a hole lower (in the key of C, ED would start on A, and PE would start on C).
Either way, it's an excellent Hexatonic scale for the harmonica! I have quite a few different types of harps using it, especially X-Reed types. Most of the tracks on my 2012 album "New Chinese Harmonica" use various X-Reed harps in Paddy-Extended:
https://www.brendan-power.com/NewChineseHarmonica.php
I see you're in Taipei! I've visited and played in Taiwan, and have some good friends in the harmonica community there. Great place and nice people! Long may they enjoy their peaceful democratic life
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Well, It’s been 7 years since I started the harmonica - I’d say about 4 of which have been productive, and 3 of which I felt like giving up because I felt like I sucked. I feel pretty good at the moment, but one thing is for sure - I still love the ED tuning. However, internally I call it JAM Tuning now because I just hate the name ED.
Here’s me playing Bye Bye Bird on it (Kind of)
https://youtu.be/p81ck1P92bM?si=kSELmtakYBHpUAgf
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Nicely done!
Btw, talking about Taipei: The last year I happened to listen to a concert of Sirius, a very fine harmonica ensemble from Taiwan, who played at a festival in Berlin. They were really great. Maybe you know them as well?
Btw, talking about Taipei: The last year I happened to listen to a concert of Sirius, a very fine harmonica ensemble from Taiwan, who played at a festival in Berlin. They were really great. Maybe you know them as well?
Aw, Thou beloved, do hearken to the Banshee's lonely croon!
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó
https://www.youtube.com/@triona1367
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó
https://www.youtube.com/@triona1367
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Thanks Triona,
I never heard of Sirius, but I’ll look them up. The harmonica scene seems quite small in Taipei as far as I know. It doesn’t seem like they like the instrument too much here (at least the diatonic) - but then again, I’m not super great at socializing and connecting with the music scene has been a slow process since I’ve been spending most of my time trying to get good enough to jam!
I never heard of Sirius, but I’ll look them up. The harmonica scene seems quite small in Taipei as far as I know. It doesn’t seem like they like the instrument too much here (at least the diatonic) - but then again, I’m not super great at socializing and connecting with the music scene has been a slow process since I’ve been spending most of my time trying to get good enough to jam!
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Aw, Thou beloved, do hearken to the Banshee's lonely croon!
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó
https://www.youtube.com/@triona1367
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó
https://www.youtube.com/@triona1367
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605
Re: PowerBender Versus EdHarmonica
Thanks for the clip Rishio. It's great that you're happily playing ED Tuning still!
It is an excellent layout, for sure. As stated before, I made some harps in the 90s in the same tuning, but starting on a different note. In key of C it would be:
CD. EG. AB. CD. EG. AB. CD. EG. AB. CD.
(ED Tuning is the same, except starting on AB below the initial CD.) Originally I called this tuning 'Paddy-Richter Extended', but have more recently switched to the name 'Power-Hexatonic'.
AFAIK I was the first person to record with this tuning, in the track "Tom's Tune" on my 2004 album TRADISH. It's Track 9 on this link:
https://www.brendan-power.com/Tradish.php
If there's an earlier recording using my layout or the ED Tuning version, I'd love to hear it!
Like any harmonica tuning, it has plusses and minuses, but it's mostly on the plus side
It is an excellent layout, for sure. As stated before, I made some harps in the 90s in the same tuning, but starting on a different note. In key of C it would be:
CD. EG. AB. CD. EG. AB. CD. EG. AB. CD.
(ED Tuning is the same, except starting on AB below the initial CD.) Originally I called this tuning 'Paddy-Richter Extended', but have more recently switched to the name 'Power-Hexatonic'.
AFAIK I was the first person to record with this tuning, in the track "Tom's Tune" on my 2004 album TRADISH. It's Track 9 on this link:
https://www.brendan-power.com/Tradish.php
If there's an earlier recording using my layout or the ED Tuning version, I'd love to hear it!
Like any harmonica tuning, it has plusses and minuses, but it's mostly on the plus side