Re: [Harp-L] Changing the Way You Hold the Harp (long)

["46long Blake" <46long@xxxxxxxxx>]

Finally chiming in.....

This is a great post - as it's instructive and informative and immediately
relevant regardless of your level of playing.

The single best thing I ever did for my amplified tone was to change my
grip.  I had no clue what I was doing - I played for 17 years before my
first (and only) harmonica lesson, if you don't count a cheesy old "learn
to" tape in my teens. I'd always been a "corn on the cob" holder, for lack
opf a better term, and I hated my amplified tone.  But one day, after I'd
been playing for about 15 years, I got Barrett's chromatic intro book / cd
as a gift, and it discussed hooding the harp, and the importance of a good
seal.  I know this should be basic stuff, but it was mind blowing once I
re-gripped and tried it. I've never looked back. My tone and I are in a much
happier place, suffice to say.

- Blake


On 2/2/07, John Kerkhoven <solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I also have appreciated this thread.
>
> I tried figuring out PT's grip. Felt very uncomfortable at first, but did
> not take long to approximate. And then it was a matter of just trying a
> few
> different things, trying to find the sweetest trade-off between comfort
> and
> sound. Not all wah-wahs are the same, for sure.
>
> If you look at the PT photos (see link below in quoted post), you'll note
> that he cups his left hand around his right. I find it more comfortable to
> cup the right around the left, but that's partly (mostly?) because I'm
> used
> to the "standard" grip (harp locked between thumb and index of left hand,
> right hand opening and closing the cup).
>
> More experimenting to do. Love accoustic harp.
>
> John
> Montreal
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "James Sterett" <jsterett@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>; "MLeFree" <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 8:54 AM
> Subject: RE: [Harp-L] Changing the Way You Hold the Harp (long)
>
>
> > whoa... what a post Michelle.  And nice thread to start Rick.  I never
> > gave much thought to how I've always held the harp, which happens to be
> > the left thumb/index finger slot style, but man I've got some work to
> > do.  I was looking for the photo of Phil Wiggins at
> > http://launch.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/harp-l-archives/photos but
> > I'm not finding it.  Am I in the right spot?  and to add a little
> > illustration to what Michelle was saying, on the front of PT Gazell's
> > Pace Yourself record there's a pretty good shot of PT and his grip
> > http://www.ptgazell.com/CDs.html#Pace%20Yourself
> >
> > JIm.
> >
> >
>
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--
Blake Taylor
http://46long.com
http://www.myspace.com/46long