A close look at the Paddy Richter harmonica

In this video, I take a close look at the Paddy Richter harmonica. The Paddy Richter harmonica was innovated by Brendan Power, ca. 1990, to facilitate the playing of Irish jigs and reels. It differs from a standard harp by one note: the three blow is tuned one whole tone higher, adding the 6th degree of the major scale in the low octave (in first position). It proves to be a versatile instrument for folk music in the North American traditions as well as the Celtic ones. For this video, I use a harmonica in the key of D. Featured songs include the Teardrop Waltz (Reg Bouvette); the Finnish Polka; Mississippi Sawyer; the Swallowtail Jig and the Reel de Joe Cormier. 0:00 Introduction 0:32 The three blow 4:33 The minor chord 9:28 A technical digression 12:10 Paddy Richter or regular harp? 21:49 Position playing on the Paddy Richter harp Lily pads photo by Elise Thierry