: “finger placement” concept: questions not often asked?

[deb-l]

Sam, the way I see it, you need lots of training in classical harp technique for pedal harp and for classical harp in general.

[samantha-t]

Thanks – that’s my sense. I have had years and years of intense classical training on another instrument and in voice. I have to admit I’m enjoying messing around on the harp by myself, rather than in the context of formal lessons. I’m thinking that there are many stellar folk musicians – including some very famous ones! – who have never taken a lesson in their lives, and they do things “wrong.” (In some cases the wrongness becomes a part of their style!) Of course, this means that they can’t play absolutely anything; they’re quite circumscribed in what they can do.

I’m thinking primarily of guitarists and singers here, I suppose. I guess it all depends on what I want to get out of the harp. I think avoiding injury and promoting tension-free playing is always important though.

I do run into questions I simply can’t answer without going to someone else and in that case fellow musicians such as yourselves are invaluable. I think that’s how folk musicians learn too, from hanging out with other musicians. That is a kind of teaching, I guess.

Apparently we used to have a folk harp society in my area which would have meetings where advanced players would help out beginners. But it disbanded a while ago. Too bad.

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