Chromatic harmonica "grip"
Hi Winslow! I wanted to ask your thoughts about holding the chromatic harmonica for playing different styles other than blues. I see players like Cy Leo, Robert Bonfiglio and Larry Adler holding the harmonica different from guys like Brendan Power, Stevie Wonder. etc. Do you think this "classical" grip is important to learn? I find it a little bit uncomfortable for my right wrist but those guys are professionals so what do I know?
Yeah, I use the Yvonnick style because is way more comfortable for my hands. I watched a couple of Cy Leo videos on youtube and he teaches great but his "grip" just doesn't feel right for me. I see many classical players holding the instrument like that.
The key question to ask yourself is:Do I want my hand shape of my grip to influence the sound of the harmonica?
Of course you need to be able to get to al the notes and to operate the slide as an integrated part of your grip.
I've seen players hold it by the ends, which may be comforatable but defeats the shaping of tone.
If you're holding a mic, then the degree to which you cup the harp and mic together again influences how the harmonica sounds.
I find that letting the left end of the harmonica rest on top of the webbing between the forefinger and thumb is perfectly OK and still allows for hand shaping of tone.
I also hold the harmonica so that the holes are not level - the front of the harmonica is nstead at an angle, going up from left to right. This relieves extreme bending back of the right wrist.
Does any of that help?
Winslow: Thanks for the suggestions, and:
Norlo28: Thanks for the great question!
Just sitting here playing right now, I've noted that I just naturally slant the harp upward, left to right, to shape the tone a bit withiout throwing my right wrist into a tizzy. So definitely a good method.
Also re shaping, note how when Yvonnick Prené uses only the upper 12 holes of a 16-holer, he uses a slight angle, and just lets the left end dangle while cradling the harp in that left-hand web around the middle C hole, i.e., "regular" hole 1, e.g., at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEHnHmmWYmQ
I think the bottom line is that if the grip isn't comfortable, you'll struggle to get good tone anyway, no matter what a teacher might say is the "correct" way. Would you each agree?
Norlo28:
Great question. Add to the mix NYC-based jazz great Yvonnick Prené. His method works OK both 12- and 16-hole ... until you try to cup a harp mic. For that, watch RJ Mischo, who always seems to have his chromatic on some sort of back-and-forth conveyor belt for best mic tone.
Also, something David clued me me in on: The way Adler held the harp in the movies was for cinematic effect, and not necessarily how he held it when actually performing or recording.