Did you know?
... that cupping the mic is THE big variable between players in terms of amplified tone? The goal is to focus ALL of the sound pressure on the microphone - which means not letting it escape anywhere else. And THAT means sealing off the unplayed holes on the FRONT of the harp as well as having an airtight seal between hands, mic and harp.
When you can do this - it will naturally and dramatically reduce harshness/treble. Now you can turn the tone or treble control on your amp UP - and get a bigger dynamic change in tone as you loosen / tighten your cup.
You don't need to play amplified to experience this. The exact same principle exists for acoustic playing. A good cup produces a really deep "wah" when you open your hands.
How do you know if you're there?
You are "there" when you can cup so tightly that it is difficult to get the harmonica to sound AT ALL. For most players this takes a LOT of practice.
How can you find where you're leaking?
Cover the entire rear of the harp with masking tape. You'll be amazed at how much sound pressure escapes out the front (and side vents if your harp's cover plates have them.) Find your leaks. Now remove the tape from the rear and cover all but holes 1-4 on the front. Put enough harp in your mouth so that 1-4 are inside your lips. Go for that muted sound. If you can't get it - you're leaking on the back side. A mirror can be helpful in determining where.
Thanks, Smoke
I play Seydel 1847's and Hohner Special 20's. You're right - I find that side vents make achieving a full cup even more difficult. Some people do put tape over those vents, or replace the cover plates.
/Greg
This is apparently why even with one of your mics and one of your KZoo's I still struggle to find good tone. Clearly I need to look a little more to my hands.
I'm guessing the word tight is more about air sealing than hand pressure? It's a struggle to not try and strangle the harmonica and mic in order to get air tightness. Amything you can tell us about how you hold the harmonica would be very helpful. For instance, on a scale of 1-10, how much hand pressure would you use? Does this vary when playing acoustically as opposed to amplified? Do you hold the harmonic differently when not holding a mic?
Your tip is great so please keep them coming if something else occurs to you.
Right again - more about a good seal than how hard you squeeze. When you learning you often have to exert more force until you're in touch with the muscles and the feel it takes to succeed - but you don't nt to squeeze overly hard.
Try the masking tape trick above to learn where your leaks are - and work on them!
My grip? Harp between thumb and forefinger of left hand, thumb on bottom. Middle finger on both harp and mic, ring and pinkie on mic only. Right hand has thumb up to seal off holes 9 and 10 against my cheek. The rest of that hand is sealing the rear.
I've heard you play and know you've got good tone. Given that do you tend to use harmonicas that don't have side vents like the Special 20 in order to remove that loss of sound pressure? Or do you play the usual Marine Bands like what I would assume a majority of players with your skill set do?