Description
The Session Steel 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.
The PowerBender has the same familiar breathing pattern in the upper-middle registers, and all draw notes bend across the 10 holes. The top octave is ‘intuitive’ and easy to play, as familiar phrasings can be adopted from the bottom octaves.
On the un-valved version you can overblow every hole 1-6, 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 (available by special order), a mix of normal draw bends and valved blow bends gives full chromatics.
The top octave is ‘intuitive and easy to play, 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.
If you’re interested in a fresh sound on the 10 hole diatonic, lots more bending expression and easy jazzy playing, the PowerBender is the choice for you!
The Session Steel PowerDraw, is a harmonica that combines tradition and innovation. With its super airtight design and unique stainless steel reeds, this harmonica shows its expressive potential throughout the range in PowerDraw tuning.
PowerDraw tuning is easy to learn because:
Holes 1 to 6 on the harmonica are exactly the same as standard, so there is no need to re-learn anything.
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 because the techniques and riffs that work so well lower down work up there too.
The PowerDraw simplifies the technique, as there are no blow bends and no overdraws needed with this 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. Every draw note bends from hole 6 to 10, easy and soulfull. PowerDraw works well with the chordal octave-playing approach of tongue blockers. The notes in the top octave are similar to Richter tuning, but the intervals are different. Because the chord splits sound nicely and in-key, it is easilly adapted to. The PowerDraw works great in 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).
In the video Brendan Power explains and plays the PowerDraw harmonica.
This video is a demonstration of the harmonica the actual sound will depend upon your playing technique and ability.
