I am floored. What an incredible instrument! Jerry Garcia played his guitar through a Midi for a while and it could sound like a trumpet, flute.....anything. That instrument does the same thing, just amazing.
I love the way you can adjust it to make so many different sounds on it and that you can hook it up directly into an amplifier, but it doesn't quite seem to seem to have the sound of original type sounding harmonicas. I'm wondering if it can be tuned to sound like a regular harmonica. and most importantly I was wondering how you clean the clean the instrument when it's needed.
Can you get a DIATONIC sound and play like Paul Butterfield with that instrument ? I'm sure you can make it sound like sitar, or saz. I'd be happy to get a gritty, bluse sound like a Marine Band . Damn you're good ! Always enjoy your videos.
@@ted6176 Thanks! The answer is s qualified "Yes". You can tune it like a Richer diatonic (as well as in any other tuning you like), and you can get any sound you want, plus put it through effects. The only area it's different is with bending notes. You can't bend notes with embouchure control as on a blues harp. However you can program the slider and top buttons to lower notes to emulate bends. It's not the same but can work effectively if you practice at it.
This is cool. I've been working on my own midi harp for some time now, also using breath pressure sensors. Admittedly, I haven't made much progress because I haven't worked that diligently on it, but it will be something like this when I'm done.
This video really is inspiring me to get back to work on my own one. I've got the prototype wired up and in a temporary housing. I'm still working out the software code. I'm using an Arduino-like micro controller board. I have a video on my channel on the "proof of concept" with one note sending info to the computer. Mine is a 7-hole version, and the idea is to eventually have a 4-axis thumb controller "joystick" instead of the classic chromatic-like "button" on the end. You could map each axis of the joy stick to control whatever you want (pitch bend, tremolo, wha, etc.). Note layout and/or tuning would be controlled by a single dial. But before all that, I need to get the prototype working and making some notes, lol!
It's piece of innovative instrument like electronic organ. The traditional chromatic harmonica will still shine and sound expressively that the electroic device cannot produce.
Unless I've missed it some place ...I have not seen moisture mentioned. Also in the demos I'd like to hear an 'old standard' played in straight harmonica mode.
Great video of DM48. Thank you for sharing the knowledge and how to use this incredible inst. I am considering to buy this inst. I have few set up questions. How can I conctact you by phone or email ? Pls. let me know.
Shubhranil, I enquired about from curiosity. It's near about Rs.45,000/- and won't be available in India. There is no service center in India also. You will have to purchase it directly from the manufacturer. I didn't like this. Conventional harmonica has got completely a different sound strecture, which we like most. It can be treated as just an electronic digital musical device having different option.
Probably harder than traditional harp. Just because it has electric inside, so it's not a good idea to put it under the tap. Which is fine with 'normal' harp
Hi Brendan...personally i liked the instrument....what are your views about the instrument while playing .. ....i am a chromatic harmonica player in India and i intent to create music and mix different sounds if I buy this harmonica...I have not used synth before...Would this harmonica be a good choice if I want to record the music using a software like Cubase or Logic Pro by directly connecting the harmonica with laptop?
I would like one of these for 2 reasons. 1. I have problems with my hands and can't play flute etc any more. 2. My dog goes nuts when I play my harmonica. I could play this all day in peace. The only thing is it doesn't sound like a harmonica to me.
Sir, what is the price of Indian Rupees & where it's found ? is it available in Kolkata? DM48 is very much appropriate for me. I want to purchase that.
Great! Brendan I have one question regarding this, hope you have the time to answer. Since I have 2 kids, night would be my best bet for practice, but since volume is an issue, right now I can get little practice. The question is, would this instrument aid me in practicing? I know its not the same, but can it help me improve in any way? I understand it is a harmonica, albeit a different one, but it must have common points with a normal chromatic one right? I just see it as a super oportunity to be able to play at night! Looking forward to knowing your opinion! Thanks!!!
The reverb is part of the patches I was using. At this early stage I didn't know how to edit the patches, so just played them as-is. However I now know it's easy to reduce reverb and change many other parameters of a patch. So don't judge the DM48 by the patch sounds in this video!
Is it possible to sense also cupping? On note bending, we increase the stiffness of air cushion behind a reed (by restricting the volume of air cushion). Can such stiffness (or the volume of air cushion) be sensed as well? (I am not asking... I just asked...)
I'd be surprised if that's the case, why not contact them on their website? However it's an independent company, so I have no say in their sales strategy.
All said and done, with due respect to all and warm regards, calling a "reedless" harmonica-like midi device a "Harmonica" is like calling a frame without lenses spectacles.
I guess people said that about the electric guitar and electric piano. This is played like a harmonica so in my opinion it is one, in the same way the above-mentioned are specific types of guitar and piano. It's a MIDI harmonica.
No disagreeing with that Brendon. That was my 1st reaction. Unless it is futuristic and likely to be greatly advantageous, I am sure a person of your standing will not get into it. Cheers.
Like calling a "coil-less" guitar-like MIDI device a "Guitar" ... a "skinless" drum-like MIDI device a "Drum" ... how about them "hammerless" piano-like things that started that MIDI rubbish in the 1st place? 😂
glad that harpers now can have as much fun as we guitarists have since late 80-s) though I personally quit using midi for guitars since it`s still far from perfect
As well as bends, I worked out a way you can simulate overblows/overdraws on it too - will show in a new video shortly. It means an overblow diatonic player could transfer all their phrasing over to the DM48. They would have to co-ordinate with finger movements, but that comes with practice..
Absolutely - he's doing great things. I have no MIDI experience or knowledge at all, but Jason and John Shirley know this stuff. However, even for a know-nothing like me it's pretty simple - especially using apps on the iPad to play through. That's really easy, and also good for gigs - just take a mini-jack out and into the PA. A lot of potential to explore :)
I want to buy this. I am from India. When will it be available for the whole world. It's an amazing instrument. Hope the Indian people will get a chance to purchase it. I didnt find any purchase links by now. Please suggest. I have just gone crazy! :)
Hello Brendan, thanks for your reply. I saw your website before but there is no link to purchase the instrument. If you check the ordering section, one can only see the email subscription is available. I have subscribed but I couldn't find any link to purchase the instrument. Could you please help me get one?
BrendanPowerMusic cheers Brendan. Ok ta. I suppose it might make a good practice Harmonica whilst I'm away in the caravan etc ;-) in this instance, would the harmonica work like a CX10 cut down Harmonica I purchased from you @ 15 years ago? I suppose that the slide could get me some bends so to speak? Thanks Richard
No it doesn't sound like a normal chromatic harmonica it sounds like a synthesizer working on the Pipe Organ setting. Also, if you go on their website, if you are in Europe, it costs 795 Euros which equals 942.41 dollars, almost one grand for ONE harmonica. SMH, I don't think so. You would need at least 3 of them to get all seven keys.
i love that harmonica and the concept its a great instrument. but 720 dollars plus 30 dollars shipping is so much for a person thats not professional. i would love this for when i go on my deployments so i wont bug anyone since we live so close. but ill stick to my chromatic. nice video love the demo!
Hmmm! While i enjoy different harps and recently bought your AsiaBend which i love, i think there's a real danger in getting too into all these different types of harps too much. Surely there's only so much the brain can process as regards different hole layouts and tunings set up's etc before you just can't keep up and remember all these things? Far better to have just a couple of different ideas in my opinion and be really fluent on them than chopping and changing all the time.
Think harp (one with strings attached); all 7 notes on the diatonic scale can be selectively changed. And that was the idea of my dream harp (one with reeds).
Dmitry Afanasyev ...I guess it is because it is sth else but a usual harmonica. ...not really comparable to a usual chrom imho. Imagine a dedicated piano virtuoso checking out a synth for the first time...
It sounds like anything but harmonica. How can it be a harmonica when it does not have reeds. Free reed instrument Brendan. I believe you know about the electronic harmonica called Millionizer, don't know what happened to that.
You can play a sampled harmonica sound if you want. It plays and is operated in exactly the same way as a normal harmonica, with in/out breath, separate mouth holes, same tunings, same size, same slider operation - so I say it is one: a MIDI harmonica!
Come on, it's not suitable for practicing. No bends, no overblows/draws, no overbends. It's a pro's stage instrument, but like any other midi instrument, sadly it lacks all the love and magic of nature and the spiritual poetry which come out of vibrating matter AND your body pieces together..
As for the rest: it does respond well to your breath dynamics soft to loud, actually better than a real harp in that respect. And I don't see an inability to overblow as a negative. Overblowing is a way to fill note gaps on diatonic harmonicas; this one is fully chromatic already.
Finally, I wouldn't see it as a practice aid for the conventional harmonica, it's a whole new thing in its own right that can be used alongside your normal harps.
Thanks for your answer. First let me say: I am still a beginner and definitely Your's is the master's voice. I personally like the overblows for some expressive legato intervals like the hammer-ons and pull-offs (while string bending) on my guitar, which motivates me to combine these changes with the Over-Bends Holmes wrote about here: archive.harmonicasessions.com/dec04/overbends.html But as you said in some other video overbends are not among your most loved techniques and so your point is totally ok. for me. By the way recently I found that trying to play irish fiddle tunes on a standard Richter (and NOT a Paddy) - which is extremely hard for me - seems to boost my beginner skills and quickly make me a better blues player because it forces me to break with the lazy blues cliches hanging around deep in the physical setup of richter itself. Totally different breathing-and-mouth moves. Agree?
Another thing left to say: I would concede that it might be an excellent instrument for an absolute beginner who starts her journey straight in this direction before even getting into the traditional acoustic feeling of the vibrations and so on. I own some midi guitars and accordions and what you can do with them is just overwhelming: playing Wagner's Parsifal with trombone sounds on guitar for example. But it is still another type of instrument which just resembles the traditional one. By connecting it with the smartphone (which is likely by the similar spatial dimensions and it's portability) one could reach the immense markets of Asia and Africa.
