Planet Harmonica episode 2 : here we are ! At last !

Episode 1 mainly focused on chromatic playing on a Richter diatonic harp, because this approach had got many new fans over the last fifteen years, and appeared to be totally relevant, unlike what we used to think at the end of the 90’s. So we had to concentrate on this major topic, and we still have many things to say on this. Thus, in this issue, you will find a major article by Sebastien Charlier about bending and overbending techniques. It’s worth reading all those pieces of information that Sebastien gathered through many years of research and experiments !

This second episode also opens up to news topics : an interview of Brendan Power, musician and inventor, who took a different approach in creating new harmonicas. Brendan is amazing in terms of inventiveness and craftmanship !!

We also decided to take care of beginners who haven’t mastered bendings yet. Laurent Rinaldi shows how you can play stunning riffs on a diatonic harp, without any bending.

If you are eager to play jazz, go straight ahead to Jérôme’s article, you’ll find some ways to improvise on a standard using quite a simple grid and some chords out of the usual blues I IV V pattern.

For my part, I say some words about the online course website for chromatic harmonica by Yvonnick Préné, the new Torpedo harmonica (a good value overblow ready harp) and about David Herzhaft’s textbooks.

Our translator François Morcrette (thanks to him for his great help and his kindness) wrote his very first article about the latest Nico Wayne Toussaint’s album.

Finally, we’re very pleased to welcome three new contributors in the team and not the least ! André Daneau and Benjamin “Harmonica Vaudeville” Carpentier, from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, share their insights about some new albums, and Patrice Rayon, the long lasting harmonica promoter in France and worldwide, delights us with the first part of an interview he had with Joe Filisko. I hope these contributions will keep on growing with our next PH issues.

As you can see, Planet Harmonica is still on its way, under the approving gaze of its founder Benoît. There are still so many topics to be addressed in the harmonica world !