Cupping and Hand effects - small hands
Hi David,
I am trying to go through the cupping and hand effects, and Ive got a shure x520 mic which my girlfriend bought me for my birthday, but I think my hands are too darn small for it. I can't seem to have a good grip, not to mention generate a wa-wa effect.
What should I do? it's pretty fraustrating.
Thanks alot david for the quick answer, I went through Joe Filisko's lessons but I do not find any one where he is cupping a mic.
http://www.bluesharmonica.com/contributor/joe_filisko
maybe i'm looking in the wrong place?
Thanks so much in advance.
Sorry, I should have been more clear. Holding the harmonica, whether you're using a mic or not, is the same. So I was more referencing how Joe uses his right hand in general. You'll see in his video how the right side of the harmonica stick out.
oh OK thanks!
Hello, Im pretty new here. I have been playing for a couple of weeks and I really like it. However, I have very small hands. Im a five ft tall woman and my hands are proportional to my size. I've noticed that when I watch tutorials, everyone seems to be able to cover the whole harp up with their hands, so much so that you cant even see it. When I try this, the last quarter to a third of the instrument is exposed and not in the "cup". My cup is too tiny for the harp. Is sthis ok? I would like to know if this is an issue now before I get too used to holding it a certain way.
thank you in advance.
Zuzanna
Hello Zuzanna, welcome to the site, and to the harmonica. You're not alone in this, this is a common question, and a non-issue in regards to getting a good sound and cup. Using the "pinch" hold that I speak of in the video is the common way to go. Don't worry about how much of the right side of the harmonica is sticking out, it's more about how tight the cup is on the left-hand side, and using the thumb against your cheek.
The 520 is a large body, but only 3/8" larger than what we consider to be "small" bodies (like the JT30 or 1940's Shure brown bullets). You're best off going for "the pinch" grip, where the harp sticks out the right side of your cup. The tone of this is just fine (especially when playing through a more distorted amp) and to be honest we don't do much Wa Wa effects when playing through a bullet (I sure don't), so I wouldn't worry about that. Also watch Joe Filisko's lessons on cupping where holds this way (I'm not talking so much what he does with the left hand... though you can of course try it and see if it works for you... focus on the right hand). Keep working it, it takes about a year to find the right combinations of angles when you hold the bullet and be able to hold with a relaxed grip.