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July 17, 2002 at 4:00 am #167806
unknown-user
ParticipantMy husband recently took up the Cello and has been at it for 1 year now (I play the Harp, Piano and Flute) so the Cello is rather near and dear to my heart, if you know what I mean.
July 17, 2002 at 4:00 am #167805ParticipantMy son 10 has played for a year. He has a Salvi prelude and wants to
play in orchestra. The strings teacher wants him to learn cello, and
then play the harp parts in concert. He is willing to learn cello.
Is this wise? I need sugestions on how to get him involved in
orchestra, most are strings programs, and he gets frustrated waiting
while the strings learn their parts.July 18, 2002 at 4:00 am #167807paul-knoke
ParticipantDear Martha,
Hmmmmmm. Proceed with caution. Has the strings teacher said exactly
WHY he should play cello in rehearsal but harp in concert? My feeling
is that everyone would be much better served if he played harp both in
rehearsal and in concert. Your son would better learn orchestral and
rehearsal skills, always desireable in a harpist (and harpists do need
a somewhat different set of skills from other orchestral players.) The
other players would get to rehearse the music the way it will sound in
concert, and without having to rearrange stand partners. The teacher
would have a more secure and reliable ensemble.Sitting and waiting is just part of life in harpland. Perhaps your son
could use some of the time to do homework, or do what I did and
develop a new skill by becoming the orchestra librarian (ulterior
motive: I can get my parts first!) I know that the vast majority of
educational orchestra music does not include harp parts, but around
here the teachers, students, and sometimes even the parents will write
harp parts tailored to the skill level of the student. Sometimes the
part is just a chord on the downbeats, or doubling the melody in both
hands, but at least it’s something!Do let us know how this situation progresses.
Cheers,
PaulJuly 18, 2002 at 4:00 am #167808ParticipantThe situation Paul describes sounds familiar to me! I spent three-quarter of my time in orchestra’s listening to the others play, an other quarter counting and after all the last quarter playing! Harpists just have to be patient musicians in an orchestra, that’s always one of the disadvantages of playing the harp. It could be a solution to let your son play the cello in pieces in which the composer didn’t write a harp part, but I would say that he definetely should rehearse the harp parts with the rest of the orchestra, because some parts really can be tricky, especially when you have to count a lot! Hope to have helped you with my vision! Your son’s choice to play in an orchestra is definetely a wise one, I always love my orchestral work the most!
July 21, 2002 at 4:00 am #167809ParticipantMy daughter was in middle school orchestra and played a L & H troubadour or a Salvi Angelique (I think).
July 25, 2002 at 4:00 am #167810Tacye
ParticipantWhen I was starting out I played a couple of times with orchestras on a lever harp- I was just given the part for any other instrument (as there never was a harp part -double bass parts are easy) and picked out the bits I could play.
August 1, 2002 at 4:00 am #167811elinor-niemisto
ParticipantThe orchestra director probably wants your son to learn “ensemble skills” like following the conductor’s beat, listening to other members of a section and balance.
August 2, 2002 at 4:00 am #167812ParticipantI suppose I come at this from a slightly different angle. I started
the cello in 5th grade and the harp in 11th grade. I played cello in
school and community orchestras, and later on added playing
the harp in some cases.I would say, without hesitation, go for it! I learned much more
about being an orchestra musician from playing the cello than
from playing the harp. Having a section of people all playing the
same part (or, at least, attempting to) fine-tuned my ear to
recognize when people were not playing the correct rhythm or
pitch. I also learned to hold my own when I knew that I was right,
even if my stand partner was wrong. Playing the harp is all about
playing alone and with confidence, and I have found it’s much
harder to play against a section of cellos than to play a harp part
alone with no one to know if the harp is right or wrong.The other huge bonus of playing another instrument in rehearsal
and harp in the concert is learning the music. Harp parts are,
let’s face it, full of rests and counting. I found it much more
interesting to count my rests when I was already familiar with the
piece from my perspective in the cello section. I also knew
exactly what was going on at each rehearsal letter or number in
the piece because of all the weeks spent drilling those parts. If I
ever daydreamed while counting my rests in the harp part, all I
needed to do was listen for a few measures to get my bearings
straight and know exactly where in the piece the orchestra was.In any case, good luck!
November 23, 2004 at 5:00 am #167813ParticipantI placed my harpist daughter in her elementary school orchestra after she had been playing harp for one year.
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