Brendan Power Harmonica

Power Harps
PowerBender
PowerDraw
ChromaBender
Irish Session
Slide Diatonic
Paddy Richter

I've invented many harmonica-related features over the years: original tunings, odd sizes, accessories, and even whole new types (you can read the history of them here).

From day one I was always a harmonica hacker, using simple old-school tools to create specialised custom harmonicas for my own playing. It was out of necessity, as I found the commercially-available harps just didn't do the things I wanted. After a while my personal harps sparked interest from other players, and I started selling custom-made Power Harps online in 2000.

From 2000-2006 I sold a wide selection of innovative hand-customised chromatic and diatonic harps. Many had never been made before, such as the Power CX-10, CX14 and CX-16, the Trad Session Harps for Celtic music, and my Stretch Harps (extended length diatonics). However, the increasing workload meant I was neglecting playing and recording, so I took a break for a while. In 2012 I started X-Reed Harmonicas with Hungarian designer/engineer Zombor Kovacs, to make the best versions of the new extra-reed concept for harmonicas. We both learned a lot from each other. Zombor's influence led me to teach myself CAD (Computer Aided Design), and it has opened up a new world of sophisticated harmonica hacking! Combing CAD with cool new workshop machines has got me excited again about pushing the envelope of harp performance and design.

The advent of affordable small-scale manufacturing technology like CNC machining and 3D Printing means that inventive ideas can be tested and produced very quickly now, to exacting standards, in any home workshop. Using CAD and this new maker technology I'm currently able to realise some long-cherished dreams of harmonica models that were virtually impossible to make previously. It's such a buzz to design bizarre original combs on screen and then quickly see them come out as solid, usable parts that can be incorporated in harmonicas no-one has ever seen before.

Those available to buy will be added to the Harmonicas section of the website. This page shows off some previous custom harps, as well as odd one-offs that never got released.

ORIGINAL DOUBLE CHROMATIC

I have been trying to make a DoubleChrom for over 20 years, and have laboriously hand-made several prototypes in that time. Here are some photos of my first one, from 1993/94. The string pull is to allow the player to hold in the master slider with their left (holding) hand, while operating the two secondary sliders with their right.

It worked, but not great. Now I have CAD skills, a 3D printer plus laser cutting at my disposal, I have finally been able to realise my dream with a superior patent pending design. Here are five 2014 prototypes:

Some POWER HARPS from 2000-2006

2022 Demo

The PowerBender tuning builds on the best parts of the traditional Richter Tuning, while altering the scale to make the real juicy and important notes much easier to obtain throughout the whole three octave range.

If you're interested in a fresh sound on the 10 hole diatonic, LOTS more bending expression and easy jazzy playing, the PowerBender is a good choice for you! Check out the first video for a demonstration of my new-generation own-brand PowerBender.

Same familiar breathing pattern in the upper-middle registers. All draw notes bend everywhere, holes 1-10!

On the un-valved version you can overblow every hole 1-10, for full chromatic playing. Overdraws and blow bends are no longer possible or needed on a PowerBender - they are replaced with simple draw bends.

On the half-valved version, a mix of normal draw bends and valved blow bends gives full chromaticism. Top octave easy to play (intuitive) as many familiar phrasings can be adopted from the bottom octaves Easy to play in the common positions: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, and 12th.

Check out the second video where I demonstrate playing in many keys and positions (these are tracks from the book/CD)

PowerBender & PowerDraw Harmonicas

2022 Demo

Tuning Diagram - comparison with Richter tuning

Check out the Philosophy behind the POWERBENDER.

See Music and Tab from the 44 page Book for Sixth Position

Hear two Instructional Clips from the CD for 5th Position

Buying Advice

Own-Brand POWERBENDER Harps - An Affordable way to Try PowerBender! We have two great models to suit player preferences: one lipped-comb type made by Kongsheng, and a traditional sandwich-comb type made by Easttop. Both have great response, open-back covers for loud volume, and long-lasting phosphor bronze reeds.

If you are buying a harp to go with the book, please select the key of A.

The LUCKY 13 Option...

If you want added bottom end, I'm also making the PowerBender in 13-hole 4 octave format, in the form of my unique Lucky 13 harp. It gives you all the benefits of PowerBender PLUS an extra low octave to extend the range. AND... it comes in all 12 keys. The Lucky 13 is like two harps in one, excellent value and a good playing harp out of the box.

ORDERING OPTIONS

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POWERBENDER Book & optional harmonica (Key of A) package

£28 - £45

44 Page Instructional Book with 86 digital instructional tracks

You will receive a download link with all tracks as MP3 files. The book comes as a physical copy only.

All harmonicas in the book package are in the key of A.

* Gasket Valves are provided to fit yourself.

POWERBENDER Harmonicas

£30 £18

We have two great, affordable models to suit player preferences: one lipped-comb type made by Kongsheng, and a traditional sandwich-comb type made by Easttop. Both have great response, open-back covers for loud volume, and long-lasting phosphor bronze reeds.

You can also buy a high-quality Seydel PowerBender harp with stainless steel reeds in any key, and with half-valving option too. Seydel Harmonicas

2022 Demo

If you're interested in incredible draw bending expression in the top octave whilst retaining all the best aspects of a traditional harp in the lower two octaves, the PowerDraw is a good choice for you! Just top off the standard Richter tuning in holes 1-6 with the logical breathing pattern and draw-bending soul of my PowerBender tuning on holes 7-10.

It's a win-win! See the detailed description and watch the video below.

You can buy my inexpensive own-brand model in five popular keys, or you can buy a harp with stainless steel reeds in any key, and with half-valving option too. Watch the Seydel Video to understand more about how PowerDraw works, and how easy it is to adapt to for players of standard Richter harps. Seydel PowerDraw

PowerBender & PowerDraw Harmonicas

2022 New Demo

In some cases the harps will come in a different box to the one shown here.

POWERDRAW - WHY IT'S SO MUCH FUN!

PowerDraw tuning is a combination of standard Richter (holes 1-6) and PowerBender (holes 7-10). The Best of Both Worlds! It's easy to learn because:

The bulk of the harp (holes 1-6) stays exactly the same as normal, so there is no need to re-learn anything in that comfortable range you're so accustomed to.
The breathing pattern of holes 1-6 (blow reed low, draw reed high in each hole) is retained all the way up to hole 10 on the PowerDraw! This gives the top octave an instant feeling of familiarity to anyone who tries it, because the techniques and riffs that work so well lower down work up there too (click on "Tunings" tab in GEEK ZONE above to see the scale).
Simplified Technique: There are no blow bends and no overdraws needed in the PowerDraw tuning. Two of the most important 'blue' notes in 2nd position (the flat third, which was overblow 6) and the flat fifth (overdraw 7) are now simple draw bends on holes 7 and 8: the octave-up equivalents of the familiar draw bends on holes 3 and 4.
Every draw note bends from hole 7-10, soulful and easy! That's right - you can now really WAIL up high on your harp! Plus, in un-valved setup, every hole overblows for chromatic playing, and the upper octave overblows are much easier than the overdraws necessary in Richter tuning.
PowerDraw works well with the octave-playing approach of tongue blockers. The notes in the top octave are similar to Richter, but the intervals are slightly different. Octave splitting is actually easier, because both blow and draw notes have a 5 hole split above hole 4. See the Seydel PowerDraw Video for a demonstration.
PowerDraw is ideal for Second Position, but works works great in many other positions too, especially Third (nice useful bends in the top octave), Fifth (good expression in the top end), Second Position Minor (no need to overblow to get the flat 3rd ), Eleventh and Twelfth (great expression in the top octave).

Tuning Diagram - comparison with Richter tuning

Buying Advice

Own-Brand POWERDRAW Harps - An Affordable way to Try PowerDraw!

Own-Brand POWERDRAW Harps - An Affordable way to Try PowerDraw! We have two great models to suit player preferences: one lipped-comb type made by Kongsheng, and a traditional sandwich-comb type made by Easttop. Both have great response, open-back covers for loud volume, and long-lasting phosphor bronze reeds.

The LUCKY 13 Option...

If you want added bottom end, I'm also making the PowerDraw in 13-hole 4 octave format, in the form of my unique Lucky 13 harp. It gives you all the benefits of PowerDraw PLUS an extra low octave to extend the range. AND... it comes in all 12 keys. The Lucky 13 is like two harps in one, excellent value and a good playing harp out of the box.

ORDERING OPTIONS

Please note that order tracking is not provided by default, but can be purchased in the cart. For available shipping options please see our
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PowerDraw Harmonicas

£30£18

You can also buy a high-quality Seydel PowerDraw harp with stainless steel reeds in any key, and with half-valving option too. Seydel Harmonicas

The ChromaBender is a brand-new harmonica never seen before, one of my inventions dating back more than 20 years but only now available to buy. It combines the best features of the 12 hole chromatic harmonica and the 10 hole diatonic to create a unique hybrid harp that will appeal to players of both types.

Discontinued

video link

(Hear Sound clips recorded on the C ChromaBender by Al Clark & Randy Weinstein. Check out Randy's interesting discussion of his experiments with the ChromaBender: Randy's music.)

The ChromaBender has the outward appearance of a chromatic but sounds like a diatonic! Its parts (covers, comb, reedplates and mouthpiece) and standard Solo tuning come from the chromatic, so chrom players can play it straight away. But the sound and playability is like that of a 10 hole blues harp! Instead of a slider, the ChromaBender uses internal x-reeds and simple draw and blow bending to give you buckets of soul and full, easy chromatic scales over three octaves.

This unique new harp allows any chromatic player to get bluesy without having to switch to a different tuning or smaller-size harp, and it allows blues harp players to get chromatic using their familiar, easy blow & draw bending technique. Many 10 hole diatonic players like to use a chrom for 3rd position playing. Now they can get those big octave tones plus draw and blow bending on all notes!

I designed the tuning and specialist reedplates for this harp, and chose the Brazilian company Hering to make it. Hering chromatics have very close reed/slot tolerances, and that's important for this triple-reed design. In June 2013 I travelled to the Hering factory in Blumenau, Brazil to work with Hering engineers to create this all-new 36 reed model.

The ChromaBender will open up a whole new harmonica sound as players from both the chromatic and diatonic camps bring their own experience and strengths to create a unique hybrid sound.

The G/D Irish Session Harp is a revival of a harmonica I created for my own Irish playing in 1995 using chromatic harmonica parts, but with reedplates in the two different keys. The slider has no spring, and is held in or out with friction. With the slider out the harmonica played a low D scale in Solo Tuning. Press the slider in and you got a G scale. Two harps in one, G and D: perfect keys for 90% of Irish and Celtic tunes!

The common way to play Irish tunes is in sets: several tunes one after the other, often with pleasing key changes between them. Normally harmonica players have to switch harps at that point, but having an Irish Session Harp means you can play most Irish sets on the one harmonica! Just move the slider to the opposite position with the flick of a finger and you're in the new key - it's so easy and fast.

I sold it on my website from 2000-2006 (it was then known as the 'Trad Session Harp'). I released it again in 2013, made for me by Hering, re-named, and in two sizes/tunings: 12 Hole Solo Tuned, and 10 Hole in Paddy Richter tuning. Both are great for Irish music, but Solo tuning as on this page will suit chromatic players better, Paddy Richter will suit diatonic players more. If you're a diatonic player, go to the Paddy Richter version.

Watch the video to see how the Irish Session Harp works in the Solo-tuned version (this is the old model, now discontinued, to show the principle)

video link

UPDATE: New Model!
Unfortunately there were supply problems with Hering, so the chromatic-based Irish Session Harp was discontinued. However, the same concept of two keys in the one harmonica is now available again in my own-design Switch-Harp. This is made in a modular fashion, using two diatonic harmonicas behind a master slider. The advantage of the new model are: It can be ordered in any combination of keys, several different brands, and any tuning you like! You could have just one front unit and insert different rear harp units as you desire. However the easiest option to make an Irish Session Harp for Solo tuning is the Hering Orchestra version of the Switch-Harp: a 10-hole harp that comes in Solo tuning in 5 keys: Low C, Low D, Low F, G and A. Choose the LowD/G harps for the common version of the Irish Session Harp, but you can choose other combinatiions also if you wish.

Here is the scale layout and info for the Solo Tuned version of the Irish Session Harp, and below some photos of the old model (now discontinued).

Here are some handy tips to fix sticking valves and enhance airtightness on your slider harmonicas.

The Slide Diatonic is another of my harmonica inventions. I first recorded with it on my 1994 album New Irish Harmonica, and I've used the Slide Diatonic for all my traditional Irish playing ever since. It's now available to buy, and only on this website.

The Slide Diatonic comes in the two main keys for Irish music, D and G, as well as C. The 12 hole is in Solo Tuning (same as standard chromatics), which is a great tuning for trad music, and probably the easiest to use.

I've had a couple of versions of the Slide Diatonic over the years, the first made by Hering and the Mk2 by Easttop. It's really airtight and comfortable in the mouth, with a smooth slide action. Please check the video below to see the Mk 2 version, and check the earlier video for the Mk 1 model to hear how easily and sweetly the Slide Diatonic adds in-key decorations to the main melody. The Mk2 model has the added benefit that you can remove some outer valves for extra bending if you wish (demonstrated in the Mk 2 video).

On the outside it looks like a standard chromatic harmonica, and the home scale with slider-out remains the same. But as soon as you press the slider in, you hear the difference! The slide-in notes sound sweet and tuneful, and slider trills are pleasing to the ear. That's because all the slider notes have been tuned to the home key of the harmonica - hence the name Slide Diatonic. Below are the tuning charts (click to enlarge):

You can see the slider note is invariably the next note of the home scale. This gives the player a whole new and more AUTHENTIC sound for playing Irish and other folk music, including Chinese, Scottish, Italian... Most folk melodies around the world stay within a specific mode or scale. Chromatic notes outside that scale tend to sound harsh, because they are inappropriate for the style.

There is one small exception, which I’ve incorporated in the models we sell since the videos above were made. In holes 3, 7 and 11, the draw slide note raises to the tonic note of the scale instead of the 7th. I’ve found in practice that this works better, for various reasons:

You already have a same-breath decoration available from the draw 6th to 7th note, which can easily be done with a jaw-flick.
It’s great having the tonic available further to the left in each octave, for alternate phrasing options.
If you half-valve the harmonica, it gives you a nice draw slide-in bend on the tonic: some extra tasty expression on that crucial home note.

The Slide Diatonic also gives the player lots of enharmonic (same-not choices). Every note of the scale is duplicated in a slide-in note, which allows the player to choose the best option for the music. This can be very helpful in playing fast dance tunes with big jumps.

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12 Hole Slide Diatonic Harmonica (Key of C)

£99

Mark 2 video: Mark 1 video:

Here are some handy tips to fix sticking valves and enhance airtightness on your slider harmonicas.

Brendan demonstrates Paddy Richter

Paddy Richter is the whimsical name I gave to a simple tuning I devised to play Irish music on the 10 hole diatonic harmonica, first recorded on my New Irish Harmonica album of 1994. The standard harp tuning is known as Richter Tuning, the Irish are often affectionately called Paddies... and so Paddy Richter was born.

Along with Paddy Richter tuning, I also invented half-valving on the harmonica (there is more detailed info on both further down the page). Half-valving really helps on harps used for Irish music, because it makes the important blow notes play louder, sweeter and with more soul.
Paddy Richter tuning only has one note different to standard Richter, but what a difference that small change makes! On a normal harp, hole two draw and three blow are the same note. I took advantage of that duplication to raise three blow by a tone to get the missing note you normally have to obtain via a tricky draw bend. On a G harp it would raise the D in hole three to E:

Tuning Diagram

This makes a massive difference to the ease of melody playing on the 10 hole harp. Suddenly tunes that were very hard to play lay out beautifully - including Irish jigs and reels. These are played fast, and it's impossible to get that essential missing note (the 6th of the home scale) accurately at speed via bending. Paddy Richter builds it in to the scale as a simple blow note on hole 3. Suddenly the humble blues harp is transformed into an instrument that can easily keep up with flying fiddles, pipes and flutes at an Irish session!

HARMONICA OPTIONS

HAND-TUNED SUZUKI PROMASTER MR-350V

You can order the same excellent Suzuki Promaster MR-350V Half-Valved harmonicas in Paddy Richter Tuning that I use for Irish Music, in all 12 keys (plus Low F and High G). All harps are retuned to Paddy-Richter by hand. Check the many positive Customer Comments on these harps.

Lucky 13 Option

I'm now also offering Paddy Richter in 13-hole 4 octave format, in the form of my unique Lucky 13 harp. It gives you all the benefits of PowerBender/PowerDraw/Paddy Richter (choose one as appropriate), PLUS an extra low octave to extend the range. The Lucky 13 is like two harps in one, excellent value and a very good harp out of the box.

Here's a famous reel, "The Bucks of Oranmore", played on a Paddy Richter harp in D

Video demonstrating Half-Valving

I've written a popular Instruction Book with 55 Track CD demonstrating how to play Irish Music on the 10 hole harp, including Paddy Richter instruction and examples. Click the link for more info and check out the comments on the book/CD and ProMaster harmonicas from many satisfied customers.

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PADDY RICHTER - SUZUKI PROMASTER: Luxury Diatonic

Alloy Comb, Phosphor Bronze Reeds, Half-Valved

£72.50

(£67.50 each if you buy three or more)

PADDY RICHTER - PROMASTER REPLACEMENT REEDPLATES

£40

(£35 each if you buy three or more)

Suzuki have famously durable reeds, but even they will fail after a lot of use. If a reed goes on your Promaster you can save money by buying replacement reedplates instead of the whole harp. The new plates are already in Paddy Richter tuning, and it's a simple job to swap out the old ones.