Brendan Power

Ever since I started playing (waaaaaaaay back in 1976 in New Zealand), I've been tinkering with my harmonicas to open up new expressive possibilities. It started with filing reeds to create original tunings, then inventing half-valving in 1980, then chopping up and mashing together two harps to make longer Stretch-Harps... I did similar hacking with my chromatic harmonicas. Years of modifying my own harps eventually led to starting a successful home business in 2000, using manual tools and machinery to make an array of new harmonicas out of stock models (notably the CX-16, CX-14, CX-10 etc). In 2012 I taught myself CAD design and started learning how to operate CNC machines like 3d printers, laser cutters etc, which allowed my constant flow of ideas to realise themselves in a whole slew of crazy new harmonica inventions! Most of these have been sitting in boxes in my workshop as I constantly moved on to fresh projects, but each one represents a useful idea and tells a fascinating story...

In this series I want to delve back into those boxes and (in a new video every Tuesday), share the ideas and design process behind each concept. I hope my videos will stimulate discussion, and perhaps some new development along the lines I started. If so, all I ask is that any further development work of my ideas is done with my knowledge and consent, under the respected Creative Commons protocol. Nuff said, on to the ideas - see you next Tech Tuesday!