Gestures, Salzedo style

[unknown-user]

My understanding of the raising gesture is that it is dependent on context. Tempo, rhythm, and character contribute to the gesture. Fast passages have more minute movements. The principle is similar to any ‘follow through’ motion found in golfing, basketball, baseball, etc. The point of impact is not the end of the gesture, but the center. If a person does not understand the principle behind it and uses the gesture as an extraneous ornament, then i agree it doesn’t appear useful. It would be similar to a baseball player making fancy little twirls with his bat after a hit. Still though, the issue of follow through is fundamental to creating tone and releasing tension. 🙂

[unknown-user]

Thankyou Julieanne for saving me from getting even sillier…..I was about to follow up with several new and even more bizarre taunts…..

There is a couple of great clips of Alice Giles playing on her website:

http://www.metronomeinc.com/AG/alicehome.htmu

Check it out guys, the playing is phenomenal. The technical facility she has, and the level of focus and commitment to the music, well, its

[unknown-user]

For some reason that site is not coming up when you click on it. so if anyone is interested, go to the ganyar harps site

[unknown-user]

With flutes there are two main points of argument. French keys vs
Plateau keys, and in-line vs offset G keys. While this may be about the
instruments themselves the debates cover some of the same types of
arguments.

Nah… I think the biggest is… flutist or flautist?

[Leigh Griffith]

Actually, with the first link, all you have to do is delete the “u” at the end of the url.

[carl-swanson]

Julieanne- I agree that follow through motion is very very important to playing. That’s why virtually all schools of playing(Salzedo, French, Russian, and god knows what else) preach a fingers-into-the-palm motion. You get no argument from me on that. But when a harpist plays a chord for example, there is necessarily a force away from the strings as the fingers release the strings. In most methods, and certainly in the French approach, that force away from the strings is absorbed in a wrist motion. In a very good French trained harpist(and Russian for that matter too) the wrist is supple and in constant motion, but the hand and fingers stay, for the most part, very close to the strings. Maybe I’m misinterpreting the Salzedo raising gesture here, but I’m assuming that the principal purpose of the raise is to absorbe that force away from the strings I was talking about.

And Rosemary- you crafty little harp policewoman!!-let me correct what I said to the two mystery harpists in the context of what I just said here. What I said to them was that, at the advanced level, Salzedo method is very similar to French method. In other words, there are more similarities than differences. The finger motion is certainly the same(into the palm). Both these mystery harpists had lower forearms and elbows(not as low as a French or Russian harpist, but lower nevertheless). They both played with lower thumbs than what is taught in Salzedo method at the lower levels, and there is more use of the wrist and less(much MUCH less) gesturing or raising. That makes it quite similar to French method. But as I said, only at the advanced level.

[unknown-user]

Carl,

Interesting theory. So, the natural force away from the strings is “absorbed” by the wrist. I do not have shock absorbers in my wrist, that may be why I raise.

I’ve always raised, even as a french student. I did it quite naturally, and I was lucky that my first french teacher advocated raising and not hampering what is the natural bio mechanics of the body. He worked with the force, not to stop it or absorb it, but to harness it. Sort of like solar energy!

My second teacher, (also “french”) didn’t

[carl-swanson]

HAHAHAHAHA! I’m sure I can count on you to ‘raise’ the trunchon!

[unknown-user]

Use the force Carlston!.

Just found this terrific link to a video of Alan Stivell playing a really beautiful plexi glass harp – Kathleen posted it on the Coffee break thread and I’ve copied it here.

Alan Stivell plays Tri martolod

And you know what, he raises. I think he learnt from Lily Laskine – and he has the most beautiful hands, and raises in a very similar way that I did when I learnt “french” playing originally. (a upward motion towards the player, when sustaining the bass notes).

And he really “cooks” – I’m sure the force is with him!

Enjoy the clip, and if anyone wants to chat about it, Kathleen was asking on the coffee break thread for feedback about what technique he may be. Tony has already given some insightful and interesting comments, but you may like to too.

Thanks to Kathleen, hope she does not mind me pinching her clip.

Cheers,

Rosemary – of the way of the Jedi.

[unknown-user]

Have checked the link, got it right this time! So,

[laura-smithburg-byrne]

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of hearing the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra perform without a conductor as is their trademark. Their harpist (a FRENCH player) is a friend of mine, and she performed beautifully on my SALZEDO harp in a fantastic concert .

[unknown-user]

Thanks for that eloquent post Laura – could not agree more! It’s the music that matters. It sounded like such a beautiful concert – and I’m exceedingly jealous!

What was the program by the way, if you don’t mind me asking? Just curious, as I have a chamber orchestra that asks me to play with them quite frequently.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Not to break up the mystery too much, but there is an appointed leader for each piece, usually the concertmaster, I think, and he sets the tempi and the interpretation, so I think they are really conducted, in essence, but in concert you see them render the prepared interpretation, so it is pat already, rather than spontaneous. That is what I have read about their method of work. In the ’80s their harpist was Heidi Lehwalder.

Now Carl, the key to your conundrum is, you were at Camden when Alice Chalifoux was teaching. She started teaching the low-thumb position to some or many of her students as an expedience to closing faster. Her students, some of them,

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

And keep them from ruining their thumbs texting!

[laura-smithburg-byrne]

The program for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra program was:

Sinfonia No 10 in B minor for String Orchestra: Adagio, Allegro -Mendelssohn
Orphic Memories-Ingram Marshall
Violin Concerto in D major, Op 61- Beethoven
with Gil Shaham, violin

I never said there was a mystery about how they all played together so well. I am aware that there is always a leader to start a piece whether is is with an up-bow, a sniff, or a slight tip of the head. My point was that they played straight through with such tight ensemble and trust in one another and at the highest level of artistry. They may have played the Mendelssohn and the Beethoven quite a few times so it was perhaps more committed to memory. The second piece on the program was the really tricky one. It was a potpourri of contemporary musical styles as an homage to 5 different 20th century composers with the Orpheus theme in a through-composed work. The piece was long and part of the piece was minimalist and required fierce concentration between the sections as the subtle shifts in rhythm presented themselves. It was impressive; I know because I was there and I know a little bit about ensemble and orchestral performance. The audience was educated and savy, and they knew what they were hearing was virtuosity. There were tears in the eyes of a few highly respected musicians in our area as they were so moved by the power of the performance.

[Author]

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