IRISH HARMONICA 5: The Bucks of Oranmore 

Thanks for taking the time to write John, it means a lot to be appreciated by people from Waterford, the home if my grandfather John Hyacinth Power. All the best!

You've got the hang of it now 😂

Thanks Han... Yes, the early stages on harmonica are probably harder than most instruments because you can't see what you're doing. As you say, time and practice are definitely required, there's no avoiding it 🙂

Yes, I'm using puckering. I think you need to do that if you want to do tongue triplets. With tongue-blocking it is not free to do anything else on the harmononica except block holes. With puckering, your tongue can add percussive effects, triplets etc. Many players switch between the two embouchures according to the sound they want to make, so I suggest you do that too. Good luck with your playing! BP

@@BrendanPowerMusic Thank you very much!

+killer mike Paddy Richter's just standard Richter with the blow 3 raised two semitones. If you know how to retune reeds accurately you should be fine.

killer mike I learnt to retune reeds quite a while ago . Method . Dismantle harp , and use an old style razor blade snapped in half to fit under the 3 reed to give support while you grind away a little metal from the fat bit at the end . I use a dremel drill. Reassemble , and check the note against a digital tuner. Repeat ad nauseum until you slowly raise through two semi tones . If you go too far , which I have done a couple of times , a microscopic bit of tin solder heated onto the reed can often bring you back to pitch . IT TAKES TIME AND PATIENCE . GOOD LUCK . ANYONE KNOWING A BETTER WAY OF LOWERING THE PITCH OF A reed. Please advise me

I did!

I love when Brendan talks… He’s very generous with his knowledge for us aspiring players… Don’t ever change that Brendan I’ve followed you for about 15 years now, you’re absolutely brilliant

Thanks Nora, good advice! I'll try to keep it in mind 😉