Note: The correct name of this tuning is Power Chromatic.
I have been playing a variant of PowerBender for some months now. The unique part is the harp has the PowerBender middle octave across the whole range, if that makes sense.
I have a Sydel Solist Pro that I re-tuned (and is probably 50% solder now). And an 1847 hybrid that was re-tuned professionally with reed replacement.
I mostly try do to jazz soloing, not much chording. I recently started messing around with Richter again, which made the differences between Richter and PB more obvious.
I thought I would offer a few thoughts.
Pros of this tuning: -So many notes are bendable, very expressive -fully chromatic with only two overblows, no overdraws -fully chromatic with only half step bends (bending the B down to an A flat on a Richter C harp seems a bit much to control for me) -less effort than Richter because of only two OBs
Cons: -you end up with a smaller range by a few notes -this means you have a little more lateral movement of the harp (unless you play laying down on your side) -seems like I end up drawing more than blowing, not sure that is a con -the normal richter chords aren't there
Overall PowerBender is my favorite at the moment.
---------- Great experiences with: 1623 Harmonicas
Last Edited by on Nov 10, 2012 6:19 AM
For the 1827 I though maybe I am willing to lose a couple notes on the bottom to get two more high notes 1827 (like above but shifted over one) Blow DFACDFACDF Draw EGBDEGBDEG
---------- Great experiences with: 1623 Harmonicas
This is the Power Chromatic, an inversion of it. I use this tuning, and like it--I used to call it by another name, until Brendan gently corrected me. No tonic chord! But it works well in quite a few positions, I use it for Hotel California, where the blow chord is the tonic--the key you posted would be Dm . . .
Last Edited by on Nov 09, 2012 9:50 PM
These alternate tuning topics & discussion are great. Good to hear perspective and playing around with them can only improve our ear and get us away from musical rut. Thanks Spack/Mark! ---------- Greg Jones 16:23 Custom Harmonicas greg@1623customharmonicas.com 1623customharmonicas.com
@Mike: I'm amazed that a 'Double Six' hasn't been done yet. I'd love to be more proficient in the 7-10 range. I can play set licks, but improvisation really eludes me.
Yup, I make my own Power Chromatics, using silver solder to lower 6 higher reeds. First hole gets raised three half steps on both holes . . . holes 2 and 3 also get raised. First heard about this tuning from Little Al Price.
@Jim Your tune o matic page has been most valuable to me ! Thanks !
@Gnarly I think 3 half steps was the max for me too. The reed starts getting pretty thin. So the next time I do an inverted Power Chromatic in C (so too speak) I should start with a B harp and the first note or two up 3 half steps. That will keep me from having to use so much solder on the high side (I think I took some of those top notes down 10+ half steps). --------- Great experiences with: 1623 Harmonicas
I go back and forth on the issue of retuning the diatonic--on one hand, Richter works pretty well for a lot of things, nice deep bends on 2 and 3 are expressive! On the other hand, when *I* play fast, it's nice to have an address for each note, or at least a shallow bend to hit accurately. Power Chromatic is a real good tuning that takes these compromises into account. The main drag for me is the loss of a tonic chord, so I have devised a variation of this tuning that tunes the bottom draw chord up. Let's do this in C. Blow chord is F6, all up and down the harp, whatever inversion you use. Draw chord is G6, and it is in the same inversion as the blow chord, so there are differences of a whole step on every hole. Retune the bottom notes to change the B to C and you have a C9 with no 7th. I find it works best in what I consider first inversion--F blow on first hole, G is draw one, A is blow 2, C is draw 2, blow 3 is C again, draw 3 is D, blow 4 is D again, and you are back to the normal tuning arrangement. Here is a YouTube of me playing Hotel California using this tuning (not the variation), please excuse me using a different name for it, sorry! When it was introduced to me, they used Magic Dick's name for it--but Brendan claims to have used it first, and he has no reason to falsify. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnfBz0oiH2k&feature=plcp
Last Edited by on Nov 11, 2012 9:14 AM
Anyone want to do a double 6??? I have the reeds on hand. You spec it, I build it, you buy, and if you aren't happy with it and it I'll buy it back from you. ---------- Greg Jones 16:23 Custom Harmonicas greg@1623customharmonicas.com 1623customharmonicas.com
Good to see folks liking my PowerChromatic tuning. It is wee cracker :-) (BTW for Americans: that means "It's good!", not "A short Redneck").
I came up with it around 1982 and have used it and variations ever since. It works well on diatonic but is an easier tuning change on chromatic harp. If you half-valve the chromatic you get heaps of enharmonicas through bending, and many alternate phrasing options.
It's great for jazz and ragtime, as well as folk & blues. PowerChromatic is the tuning I used on "Back to Back" with PT Gazell. Here's a version of Django's "Nuages" with it:
There is a tuning called "extended Richter" (Richard Sleigh) that looks like it could be really cool--I have selected out the reeds and gotten one underway--but it'll be a while before I can build it--(I gotta move first).
Sounds like it might be what some of you are looking for--the layout is on a chart at:
@HarpNinja: "You can make a ten hole that would repeat the first three holes all the way up at Seydel, but not a twelve."
Actually, you can configure both the solist pro 12 ($100) and the solist pro 12 steel ($140) in the configurator. I'm not sure, but I think their "4times Richter" base tuning, or perhaps their "cicruclar" base tuning might get you close to what you want already, and then you could tweak from there. I'd love to have a harp like that that goes from a super low tuning (like LLC) up. A circular tuned 12 holer would be super cool for live looping as you could lay down the bassline and the chords into the looper, and then solo over it all with out having to change out harps... ----------
@oldwailer: look for "modern penatonic" in the archives here. I've done a variant of that tuning that is a bit easier to retune to from a normal richter harp. ----------
There's certainly a market for this alt. tuning thing. The only limitations being that you've either got to be able to jockey a soldering iron and a file or pay to experiment.
Here's an idea. How about an alt. tuning library? Make up a bunch of harps (Seydel Session Steel) would be easiest to clean through a dishwasher) in different tunings and charge a fee. The library 'member' can then take out a harp at a time paying postage both ways until they settle on a tuning.
The membership fee can then be placed towards the cost of a harp in that tuning, or kept in place for future withdrawals.
I want to create a Paddy Tuned harmonica from hohner Chromonica and I've just wondered, how to choose key and retune it to Paddy Richter. I need a G paddy in Chromonica body and so far I've decided to get E harmonica and retune it so it will be Paddy Richter from 3rd hole up and use two lower halls for additional basses. But your Paddy Solo looks good too, I'll think about it :)
BTW, you've listed Paddy Solo both in the diatonic and chromatic sections, I think it's a mistake.
I have already had a 12 hole PowerBender Tuned harp made by Jim a couple of months a go. (it was a 12 hole Seydel Solist Pro)
It is basically PowerBender tuning with the 9-10-11-12 hole the same as 5-6-7-8. The 1-2-3-4 stays the same as Richter. Is this t he same as you guys are talking about?
It was really cool, although I think the Seydel Solist Pro 12 reeds didn't like all the retuning that was required. Jim had to redo it twice and the reeds still went out of tune quite fast. No blame to Jim though, he did a great job. I felt there was definitely something wrong with the reeds.
For those of you that use a lot of solder (Lead-free I hope), you might want to try one using Greg's (1623 Harmonicas) approach. He just replaced reeds to get to the right pitch. I have one of both (soldered and re-reeded) and have an easier time with the re-reeded one.
---------- Someone is cooking some bacon. Great experiences with: 1623 Harmonicas
I've ordered one PowerChromatic. I prefered to get one started from A Blow A C D F A C D F A C Draw B D E G B D E G B D
I like it very much for jazz. 5 major scales and 6 blues scales without overblow, halftone bends only, only 2 overblows for full chromatic scale. For me it was just experiment I decide to stick with richter anyway (for set of reasons: habits, deep bend expression, chords layout), while one of my students get crazy on such PowerChromatic and get already 6 of them (two in Am, Cm, C#m, LowCm and Big Six in Am). I'm practicing this tuning while give him a lesson. I prefered to order halfvalved harps, but remove valves on holes where overblow is necessary. ---------- Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
Last Edited by on Nov 14, 2012 1:30 AM
