Ok.. rookie question. What's a PowerBender? (Only thing that comes to mind is bar hopping to multiple bars in one night - in which a PowerHangover ensues shortly thereafter.) ---------- Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy. -Dan Castellaneta
Last Edited by on Dec 23, 2010 5:02 PM
In short: "The POWERBENDER is a soulful new tuning for the 10 hole diatonic harmonica, retaining the best aspects from tradition while making the harp more expressive and easy to play through the whole range."
In Long:
---------- I could be bound by a nutshell and still count myself a king of infinite space
quit watching other people's videos and you will, once again, take your rightful place as one of the greats, tooka. i always tell myself these types of videos are all computer generated.
YES, Welcome to Wade he has a unique way of playing.
Shredder, this harmonica is a killer, in this video I'm quite sure I've just used 20% of its real potential, I'm not yet accustom to Brendan's tuning, it's really different from the Richter tuning....
This is really fun to play overblows (not overdraws) on holes 7 top 10 :-)
---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
Amazing clips! It's great to see the 'pros' working with the PowerBender. I've switched to this tuning completely. Suits much better for the the things I'd like to play.
I do have a question for you Christelle: How do you make the sound on 2:08 and 2:20 in the video? I've heard it being used a few times (also by Brendan?) but never really understood how it can be done.
This sound is called the growl. most of the wind instrument musicians are using the tip of their tongue, some are using the back of it.
In my case I can't do this so I'm using my bifid uvula (I was born with this) and I'm forcing the air flow with putting the very back of the tongue almost against the uvula
A good exercise would be to pronounce a lot of spanish words containing a lot of letter "R" and trying to get this particular accent on this letter....Once you get it, what you can do is to pronounce the same thing when you are blowind...Drawing is more complicated since the air will pass in another direction (not "naturally") but with some work and concentration you'll get it eventually ---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
Do you play 100% PowerBender or do you switch between the normal and PowerBender harps?
I would think it's difficult to change from one to another because of the blow and draw patterns and your muscle memory?
Do you think you would ever just settle on one type of harp like the PowerBender and stick with that one alone?
Being a relatively new player, with new developments coming into play, it makes me nervous to try another type of tuning when I haven't really mastered the original one.
NO I don't play the PowerBender as a main instrument, not at all.
Indeed this is very difficult to change because of some reflexes you can get when you're accustom to a type of tuning, especially for the ones who're using "licks" patterns and so on (not my case but it's strange anyway)
The thing is that Brendan gave me an idea, with instead of starting from the classic 1st octave, starting from the 3rd one. Then after 2 hours I get sort of "used to" the Powerbender, even if I've said that I'm quite sure that I've used it in this video 20% of its possibilities.
I'll stick to the Richter tuning, because I've spent the last 2 years to work on the quality of the tone of my overblows, and now I can sing more and more easily with them. The PowerBender will be a nice companion to me because I'm sure if you change of tuning every once in a while it can break the routine that you've, with other instruments
In my opinion, you should understand the Richter tuning and all the HUGE possibilities of this tuning, and if after a while you think you'll be more comfortable with the powerbender, why not using it as a main instrument, Brendan is the perfect example that you can play special tuned harmonica all your life without being messed up. ---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
As a Suzuki endorsee, when they send you a Manji, do they send you ones that have been gone over by one of their techs to check for gaps, etc? I know you don't like working on harp much yourself...or at least you didn't at one time. When I was at SPAH this year, the Suzuki guys had a Manji that they had more than just tweeked for Howard Levy...those that played it said it was amazing. Just wondering if you get any special treatment for the harps they send you?
@Joch, WOW! Thanks for posting that! I've only ever heard Sleigh's youtube stuff... I would pay for more! I love the guy. He's got such an original voice on the harp.
---------- I could be bound by a nutshell and still count myself a king of infinite space
My first set sent by Suzuki has been set up, but it was not good enough for me...So guess what? the last 7 months I've learn how to set up the reeds myself...Now I've understand what I like, and I've began to provide a customizing service (only gapping, embossing, "unstressing" reeds).
The kind of set up that would suit Howard, or Jason is not the type of set up that I would use, they play very tight gapping reed harmonicas, I need to keep the juicy and strong sound of the instrument ---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
@Cristal , looks like I will have to get one of these, I'll call it a late Christmas present:) I was pleased to read you were back on the fourm. I have admired your playing ability for several years now since I discovered your videos on the youTube. One move you make I really like is when your up on the 9 blow. It's the way you blow bend it thru the roof. I do this also but you make a better transition than I do coming back down. Any way looking forward to more of your playing and insight, Mike
@ Shredder: Yessss...Take one or 2 of these (A and C) Brendan did a terrific job, and the Manji is a extremely responsive and so powerful instrument to take advantage of the draw notes...Feels like Kiwi juices when you're playing these high bends notes, along with the overblows on these holes
Having said that, I'm so happy to read that you're one of my long term listeners, everytime it touches me to know that....Thanks to you then
---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
I can't believe that no one has asked you about the new "Cristal Lecter" name. Is it a play off of the Hannibal Lecter character? And is there also symbolism of some type for the Mutant Generation H name? The Photoshopped eyes give you a "sinister" look which is not how I see you...especially after your video's when you break out a big smile!
Yes this is a play off on Hannibal Lecter, sometimes I like to think that I'm his daughter (I know it sounds crazy, but you should see me eating raw flesh LOL)...And Yes with the time passing, I feel like I've mutate to some kind of harmonica freak and since i love the super heroes movies (X MEN have always been my favorites for many reasons), I've decided to be this female version of Wolverine....
Well I'm not all smile most of the time, I'm trying to be nice on the cam since I know that people like that, but in fact I'm more a melancolic person than anything
---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
Christelle, Just wanted to let you know how absolutely knocked out I am by your playing. It is the definition of the term "soulful". I've spent hour after hour listening to and watching your videos. My wife loves your playing. Although I could never come anywhere near your level of accomplished playing, you are a heartfelt inspiration. I've told numerous harp players about you. Just last week a co-worker who'd heard me playing harp asked me about how to begin playing harmonica as she'd just bought one. I ran through the basics with her and wrote down your YouTube website and told her to definitely listen to you. Thank you for posting your videos and sharing your beautiful music. John Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio USA
All what you've said is touching thank you...About this sentence of yours :"I could never come anywhere near your level of accomplished playing" I'm pretty much sure that it's not true, read my signature and you'll get the idea, plus with a lot of everyday work you should be able to play beautifully.
---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
