Properly holding the harmonica is an important part of getting a full sound and creating hand effects. If you are new and still getting acquaited with the harmonica, you may want to hold the harmonica by it's ends a while longer before concerning yourself with hand effects.
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"Hold the harmonica and create a large airtight cup"-- Your goal in properly holding the harmonica, is to hold it in such a way, that you can create the largest and most airtight cup possible based on the size of your hands and then trap the sound within them. The larger and more airtight you can make this cup surrounding the back of the harmonica, the better the hand effects will be. Flutter the outside hand to create a 'tremolo effect'. Use this on long held notes of songs and riffs.
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General Information
- A large airtight cup- The secret to good hand effects is understanding what makes them, and when to use them. Your goal in properly holding the harmonica, is to hold it in such a way, that you can create the largest and most airtight cup possible based on the size of your hands and then trap the sound within them. The "larger and more airtight you can make this cup surrounding the back of the harmonica, the better the hand effects will be".
- The volume of your sound changes- With your hands closed and sealed, you diminish the volume of your sound. When you open them, the volume increases. If you keep this in mind, you will find the following steps to properly holding the harmonica and creating hand effects make perfect sense.
- The "tremolo" effect is a change of volume- We specifically hold the harmonica in a way so that we can change the sound of a note or chord by opening and closing our hands. The technique is commonly referred to as "Hand Tremelo" or "Hand Tremolo" (tremelo and tremolo are used synonymously, but the correct term is "tremolo").
- Used on long held notes- A tremolo effect creates a wavering sound that is usually applied to long held notes or long held chords (that usually occur at the ends of phrases). The perceived change that occurs is not a change of pitch (this is usually referred to as vibrato) but instead, it is a change of volume.
- Trap the sound in your hands- You literally trap your loud note in the airtight cup you have created, and when you open your hands, you let the sound out. The sound is muted or softer when your hands are closed, and much louder when you open them.
- Correct breathing is an important part of the tremolo effect-Part of the secret to making the hand tremelo effective is not only creating and maintaining a large airtight cup, but also playing the single note or chord loudly enough so that you can hear a change from loud to soft. If you play your notes too softly to begin with, you will hear little or no change when you open and close your right hand.
The better your volume and breathing technique is, the better the tremolo sound.
Click here to visit the next holding/hand effects page, "Properly Holding the Harmonica".
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