blues harp holding cupping bullet mic classic harmonica

Hold your harmonica with both hands, using your standard cup. Now look at your harmonica and note how much of it is in your hands. The more of the harmonica in your hands, the less you can place in your mouth. The more harmonica you can place in your mouth, the larger your embouchure is (the harmonica acts like a wedge... opening your mouth the deeper it's wedged in). The larger your embouchure, the bigger your tone.

When I'm playing with students and we're both amplified, it's common for me to say "tighter cup," to help them achieve a larger tone through the amp. This usually means their palms are slightly open at the bottom and that they need to close it (assuming there's no leakage due to space between the fingers or anywhere else). They commonly squeeze their hands more tightly and though it helps for a while, their hands get tired quickly and of course that's not the right technique. continue reading...

Grab a harp... hold it... play it... pull it away from your lips... look at your left hand... the farther back you can place your index finger and thumb, the more room you have to place the harmonica in your mouth (deep harmonica = deep tone). I hold the harp at the very back, on top of the crest, where it flairs out.

For more information, visit the Lesson titled "Cupping & Hand Effects" and look at the video titled "Ways of Holding/Cupping the Harmonica" for more information.

Grab a harmonica... hold it... play it... now pull the harp away from your mouth and look at the index finger of your holding hand. The farther back you place that index finger, the more room your mouth/lips have to place the harmonica deep in your mouth. The deeper the harmonica is in your mouth (within reason of course) the bigger the tone.

For more detailed information watch the Lesson "Blues Harmonica Fundamentals" and go to "Getting Started - Blues Harmonica Fundamentals" and watch the video "Holding the Harmonica" @ 1:15