A space for players interested in my specialist harmonicas, alternate tunings, instructional material, recordings etc to ask questions and share information, experiences, videos etc.
Welcome to my new forum! Thanks for stopping by: I hope you'll register and start posting
As most harp players know, I've created many harmonica tunings over the years. The driving force was always to help me make the music I wanted to play in easier and better ways than provided by the small range of stock tunings put out by the manufacturers. As time went by I sometimes switched from old tunings to new ones, or modified existing ones. It's so much fun coming up with a new layout that really works!
I've publicised my tunings and some have become quite popular: for example Paddy Richter, PowerBender, PowerDraw. People who like these three tunings have requested that I put them into the Lucky 13 (http://www.brendan-power.com/lucky13.php).
Good news: That will happen this year. I plan on having the first prototypes available at the Frankfurt Musik Messe 7th/8th April. I'll make an announcement about a launch time and place - details coming soon.
With these options about, I don't think there is a need to add to the bunch with a Lucky 13 version. In any case its reed sizes are configured for 4 octaves, not 3. Thanks for the suggestion, but I hope one of these will suit you.
Hi Jomiba, it's coming soon. It will be double Paddy Richter of course: Paddy Richter in both of the two low octaves.
I've used that myself for quite a while in a custom-tuned version of the Hohner 365. Here is a video where you can hear Double Paddy Richter in D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf5J-p6qUHE
The track Tom's Tune from my album Tradish is in Double Paddy Richter too. Good for melodic playing as well as improvising.
I'm in the process of taking a "G" lucky 13 to double Paddy tuning. For rack harp playing with guitar in trad sessions. More info after the Paddy surgey .
For double Paddy conversions my two bits would be that it's maybe easier and less accident prone to have replacement reeds for the Paddy notes already 2 semi tones up for the 3 and 6 blows, and install them.
Particularly with the lower reed , it's a lot of filing to get to the paddy note(s). The flip side is that reed replacement requires dealing with the welded reeds, removing them, and creating a new combo of a tapped reed plate screw hole, and the new reed needs a clearance hole for a screw, or screw / nut combo.
For more food for thought, I wonder if there is any interest in a Lucky 13 Powerbender tuning?
Burke
My interest would mainly be in powerbender and double paddy. I am pondering whether to order another Lucky 13 and have someone set it up for me in powerbender or wait until they become commercially available, since Brendan's announcement that this may be in the pipeline..
The Powerbender has really grown on me. I enjoy navigating the note layout in second position mostly. There are sweet harmonies and double stops in the pentatonic scale. And I have a few just for bluesy playing with the 5 draw tuned up to the flat 7 to replicate the blow 6 (changing the E to a F, on a C harp). I guess it's a slight compromise between the powerbender and powerdraw.
