Rift
105 posts
Dec 03, 2011
8:28 AM
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I was just reading some information and watching a few videos of Brendans PowerBenders. It seems like a great idea, but I am not sure its worth it for me to re-learn to play on a different tuned harp.
My question is why wasnt the first harps tuned this way? It seems like common sense the way he has it tuned. All draws are higher pitch and more easy to get all notes? Is there an advantage and reason why they didn't make them this way from the start???
Also, does anyone know if there is a note layout chart for the PowerBender that shows all notes with bends and overblows? I would love to see it in black and white to compare it to a stadard Richter tuned layout.
edit to add link. i found the layout chart.
PowerBender Layout
Last Edited by on Dec 03, 2011 8:33 AM
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AW
96 posts
Dec 03, 2011
8:36 AM
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I think if you look closer at that chart, you'll see the overblow and bent notes listed.
The Richter tuning scheme has been around for hundreds of years and wasn't designed to play the various styles of music we play with harmonica today.
I have found that I can play equally badly on both the richter and powerbender tunings. :)
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Michael Rubin
353 posts
Dec 03, 2011
8:37 AM
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When Richter made his system, he did not know about bends. He did not know about cross harp and how most people would ultimately spend most of their time drawing and using 2 draw as a tonic. The powerbender is a result of dealing with the problems of modern harp players. In my opinion, you could not have had the powerbender without the richter harp and the history of harp playing as we know it.
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arzajac
687 posts
Dec 03, 2011
10:56 AM
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It's worth learning it. Even if you don't adopt it, you will not forget everything you already learned about Richter. In fact, you probably will end up playing Richter-tuned harps even better in the long run. For example, playing draw bends on the top end of my PowerBender harps has made it possible for me to actually start being able to play overdraws on Richter harps. It may be that I found it too annoying to do and never put the time into it, but the fact remains that I can do it now.
Had I stuck with Richter, I probably would still be ignoring the top end of the harp.
I'm certain there are other benefits. The challenge of playing a different layout has its own rewards. It exercises the muscle in your brain that translates the note you hear in your head into the sound coming out of your harp.
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Last Edited by on Dec 03, 2011 10:56 AM
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boris_plotnikov
666 posts
Dec 03, 2011
11:03 AM
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So pity I didn't know anything about powerbender or powerchromatic when I started. It looks so much better than regular richter for playing different kinds music (my preferences is Powerchromatic anyway). But I played richter for 11 years and it's not easy to play new layout with the same technique, but I'm practicing.
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oldwailer
1785 posts
Dec 03, 2011
11:44 AM
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I was enjoying the PB a lot--exploring real music on the top end--but then I got busy and stopped practicing--I never learned how to get back down to the Richter end after going up to the top for a solo--I gotta get back on that--it sure is a fun tuning!
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Always be yourself--unless you suck. . .
-Joss Whedon
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nacoran
5011 posts
Dec 03, 2011
9:22 PM
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Rift, I haven't tried one, but I didn't have any real problem adjusting to minor tuning or solo tuning. As for why they weren't originally designed that way, like Micheal said, and to expand on that- it was designed to play German Umpa music, which it does admirably in first position.
I don't remember the number, but I saw a breakdown of the math of how many different tunings are theoretically possible, and it's staggering and a lot of it comes down to taste and playing style, so you can't just plug the combinations into a formula and pick a perfect one. On top of that, if you don't have perfect pitch you have to mechanically check each tuning to see how it works out or at least have a strong theoretical background in music. We have literally thousands of members here and only a few of them have come up with their own tunings.
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Nate
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Frosty
30 posts
Dec 04, 2011
1:47 AM
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I have been using PB-tuning now about an year. It has opened new musical world for me in the sense that now I can play many pop, country, jazz or rock songs more easily than with Richter tuning. I mostly play in 2nd position, but also many minor songs in 5th and some in 4th position. It takes some time to get used to the new layout and I know people who have given up PB after a while. But I am happy I have not given up, because the more I learn the more new ideas the tuning has given to me.
There are some videos of me playing PB tunung in my Youtube channel (click the link under my signature).
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Frosty
Homepage
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Rift
106 posts
Dec 04, 2011
8:14 AM
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But what is the logic of switching at the 7 hole on richer tuned? Wht wouldn't that have made all draws higher pitched?
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Gnarly
129 posts
Dec 04, 2011
10:42 PM
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@nacoran I came up with a tuning, but it's not brain surgery--it's just time spent trying to make sense of placing the major scale on a harmonica. In my case it was an SBS Marine Band in D--so the tuning is normal Richter on top, but the bottom is circular--I raise the pitches up to eliminate missing major scale notes.
I like the Powerchromatic too, I used to call it Magic Bop Band as that was the name Magic Dick used for it--he patented it but Brendan used the tuning on a record before Dick, so I guess it's his tuning.
I also like Major Cross--I like chords on a harp. The advantage Power Bender has over Powerchromatic is that it has the tonic chord--Powerchromatic has only the IV and V chords.
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