how do you teach someone to reproduce a (heard) melody on lever harp?

[Una Ni Fhlannagain]

I’m currently thinking about improvising on lever harp. It strikes me that an extremely important skill for an improviser is the ability to reproduce a melodic line, whether heard from another musician or in their imagination, *perfectly* on their instrument. I can’t do this on lever harp half as accurately as I’d like.

So, the big question: how would you teach this skill?

My experience: I play tin whistle as a third instrument. I can reproduce heard melodies far more accurately on tin whistle than harp, even though I haven’t spent as much time practicing tin whistle.

I could be better at melody-reproduction on whistle because (a) I’ve probably spent the same amount of time doing concentrated melody playing on the tinwhistle as I have doing concentrated melody playing on the harp (i.e. all harp practice minus two-handed practice)

(b) because I’ve spent all my tin-whistle time exclusively learning by ear, whereas I’ve spent some time learning with sheet music on harp, or

(c) because the fingering stimulus-pitch response on a tinwhistle STAYS THE SAME every time you pick it up, whereas the fingering stimulus-pitch response differs almost every time you pick a harp up because of the lever changes.

[cynthy-johnson]

I am wondering if you are asking how to “teach” this skill or how to “learn” this skill?

[patricia-jaeger]

Una, here’s my method of remembering the melody, in order to put it into any instrument later: Call the tonal center by “number 1”. Then any melody can be put into a number code, with notes going higher than an octave having a line over the number, and notes going under number 1 having a line under the number, such as 5

[cynthy-johnson]

There are many learning methods or styles; a simple inventory test or Neural Linguistics, will determine one’s best communication style as well as learning style. Of course, that is not to

[Una Ni Fhlannagain]

Hey, Cynthy –

thanks a million for your comments. I was thinking about a method like you propose myself. It strikes me that in order to reproduce a monotonal melody, you need 2 mental ‘links’: 1. a mental link between the pitch you heard and the pitch name/position in the key, and 2. a mental link between pitch names/position in the key and the appropriate string. Hopefully these mental links, when practiced, will become so strong that it will be an immediate reflex to know how to reproduce a melody.

However, when you get into the land of accidentals, or bitonal melodies, it all becomes a bit more complicated. I think you need a third mental link: 3. a mental link between a pitch which has been sharpened/flattened and the action of raising/lowering a lever.

So how do you create mental link 1? It makes sense for me that one would try naming each note/key position in the heard melody, as you suggest. How would you do this – just orally, as you sing the melody back to yourself? Or maybe transcribing would help here? Other suggestions welcome.

As for creating mental link 2, it makes sense to me that saying the pitch name, i.e. G, or key position, i.e. 5, out loud as the string is plucked would, over time, create the mental link in one’s head. Once again, exactly how would you structure this activity? Should you just do this as you’re trying to reproduce the melody, or should you play scales, naming each pitch? Suggestions welcome.

As for creating mental link 3, I like the idea of saying ‘G sharp’ as one is setting the lever – I think this would encourage your brain to realise that the accidental needs the extra action of lever raising. I also like the idea of saying ‘Gis’ instead of ‘G sharp’; both ideas seem very intuitive and practical. What syllables do people recommend? I like the ‘is’ ending for sharp, because ‘i’ feels sharp to me and ‘s’ is the first letter of ‘sharp’… so ‘Cis, Dis, Es, Fis, Gis, As, Bis’?

[Una Ni Fhlannagain]

PS i meant ‘hey, Cynthy and Patricia’ I’m getting loads of thought out of both replies, thank you!

[patricia-jaeger]

Una, the flats have a different modification of the plain letter. Lever harpists will likely not need all of the flat alphabet, but perhaps just up to four flats (My memory is vague on the other three anyway). But as a child I remember reciting out loud, the flat scales like this, in groups of tetrachords:

[c-k]

When I have taught young students to

[cynthy-johnson]

Hi Carol,

That is a terrific example of aural learning … the same “tradition” that Irish harpers use to pass tunes from generation to generation … I have had the opportunity to study with several … and many teach via the aural learning method. One in particular is Maire Ni Chathasaigh – all her workshops are via the aural learning method!

[Una Ni Fhlannagain]

Hey, Patricia –

this method is really tickling my brain.

How did your teacher/Mom structure your learning? E.g. did you just recite the pitch names, or did you sing them? Did you do it away from the instrument, or with the instrument?

As for the syllables, how do you know the difference between A sharp and A flat.. they’re both ‘As’?

You’re right, I wouldn’t need all the flat alphabet…my harp is tuned in A flat, so I’m just staying within 4 flats/three sharps for the moment. I was thinking in the future, though, that I could just develop familiarity with enharmonics. Here’s to sailing merrily through the murky ocean of D flat major!

Do you know if there’s any publications on this method?

Looking forward to your response,

Úna.

[cynthy-johnson]

The method that Patricia is using appears similar to the German method (that is also used in other countries) of naming notes. The note names in German, for example on a piano, are given the same names as she is suggesting. The difference, is that on the piano, there was also designation for pitch.

Best,

Cynthy

[unknown-user]

This post has made me think of my first (adult) experience of learning by ear.

I was at the Historical Society’s Conference this past summer and one of the workshops taught by Nancy Thym was on Historical Dances, Renaissance Branles. I had never been taught a piece by ear so I was pretty nervous. The class was taught first by singing the tune for us la-la-la, then we all would sing along while she moved her hand up and down to indicate note changes, then we learned the dance steps, danced while singing and saying the steps (first the man, then the woman, then the man – the man – the woman), then we went to the harps and she taught us the piece in several sections (sart with your third finger on note such and such).

I don’t think I have ever learned a piece so fast! It was an amazing eye opener and an absolute blast. I don’t think there was a single person without a huge smile.

[patricia-jaeger]

Una, here is some more information on verbalizing pitches that may help learning music. With the Do Re Mi system, the Do can be any pitch, that is the tonal center of a piece (“movable Do”), To go up or down chromatically, here are all the syllables: Do, Di., Re, Ri, Mi, Fa, Fi, Sol, Si, La, Li, Ti Do.

[cynthy-johnson]

Ah, now Patricia has provided the most-often taught Solfege degrees. This is what I have learned many of my harp students from Canada and US have learned, from a University, or their own harp teacher.

[Una Ni Fhlannagain]

thanks everyone – all these comments have been really helpful. Will work on this project for the next few weeks in my harp practice and share my results! Beannachtaí

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