more records from Brendan

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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triona
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Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:24 pm
Location: Aue / Germany

more records from Brendan

Post by triona » Thu May 07, 2020 12:34 am

discovered today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QcZ14UFdR8

O'Carolan belongs to my favourites. And I love the harp too.
It comes from his 2015 album "Harp to Harp", which he did together with Anne-Marie O'Farrel on the harp. I already have quite a lot of Brendan's records. But this one I did not know yet up till now. I think I must get me one. :D
https://www.brendan-power.com/HarpToHarp.php


dear greetings
triona
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/channel/UC1yI3H ... 9ktgzTR2qg

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Brendan
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Re: more records from Brendan

Post by Brendan » Sat May 16, 2020 5:06 am

Glad you like it Triona. It was fun playing with Anne-Marie, but a real challenge recording her harp. Trying to do drop-ins with an instrument that has so much sustain was very tricky!

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triona
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Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:24 pm
Location: Aue / Germany

Re: more records from Brendan

Post by triona » Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:05 pm

One more very fine CD just discoverered:
https://www.brendan-power.com/PufNSaw.php
Got it last week. Burnt the CD just now. And it is running up and down here since then. :D
And this one is my favourite out of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l3POdY0SMw


dear greetings
triona
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/channel/UC1yI3H ... 9ktgzTR2qg

User avatar
triona
Posts: 373
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:24 pm
Location: Aue / Germany

Re: more records from Brendan

Post by triona » Tue Jun 02, 2020 11:30 pm

To talk about the harmonica you played on this album, and on the "Cute Little Tune" in particular:

You wrote:
"The main one I settled on for this album was a heavily customised Hohner XB-40. I removed the covers and mouthpiece and put the internal comb/reedplate unit inside a cut-down CX-12 shell (now a CX-10), with rubber gaskets for sealing."

Image

This pic shows that there is still the CX-12's slide knob. But I could not exactly see on the video whether you used it on this tune or not. And neither I can imagine what a slide could make sense on a XB-40, and how it could work on a XB-40. But why you should have used a shell of a CX-12, if not for the sake of the slide? Or is it only for the more ergonomic shape of the CX-12's mouthpiece? Bending of all notes of a XB-40 OOTB however is possible anyway. What could a slide improve on this?

You wrote:
"After experimenting with many tuning ideas I created a couple of new scales that worked the best: a pentatonic one and another loosely based on Solo tuning. These gave me the ability to bend ALL the notes, just as those fiddles were doing."

Can you tell something about the note layout of this harmonica or these harmonicas? As far as I have understood this, you used two different harmonicas with different tunings each, one with a pentatonic tuning, and one similar to solo tuning? If so, which one did you play on the "Cute Little Tune"?

The tune seems to me to be in the key of G or alike. But I am not really certain about this. Btw, is there any sheet music of this tune?


dear greetings
triona
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/channel/UC1yI3H ... 9ktgzTR2qg

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