I want to play the harp!

[balfour-knight]

Hi, James,

Hopefully this lockdown will soon be over. We have already gotten the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, and the numbers of new Covid cases are dropping here in North Carolina. Yes, there is hope!

Let us know how things develop as you find a teacher and a harp. It is all so exciting when you begin a new musical journey!

Harp hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Why would you think to arrange music for the harp when you have not even learned to play it yet, albeit well? That is a very difficult thing to do. Buy a second-hand pedal harp and take lessons. It will humble you quickly, dare I say.

[james]

Thanks for the kind wishes, the same to you both.

[james]

I’ve been singing or playing music for nearly sixty years, so every musical act for me is my own arrangement or original composition. I’ve played many instruments in that time – everything is just technique. The harp is at least a logical instrument, low notes at one end, high notes at the other.

I am interested in the harp more for its beautiful sound than being able to “show off” by playing at speed or being a showman.

[balfour-knight]

Hello, James,

You are correct about the harp being a logical instrument and everything else you said above in your post. Many instrumentalists and composers who do not actually play the harp write for it beautifully. With hands-on experience, you should be able to play the harp well and compose/improvise on it to a nice degree.

This made me think about something else–do you read music and also play by ear? I have always done both, playing first by ear at about age 5, then learning how to read music. My keyboard knowledge transferred very easily to the harp, as I believe yours will. If you are like me and favor the central Key of C on the keyboard, then you would prefer that also on the harp. I learned the “white keys” first by ear on the piano, then transferred that to the natural strings of the harp, in the Key of C. I play in all keys now, of course, but C is always central, as it is in music theory.

Best of luck in this harping endeavor!
Balfour

[james]

Thank you, Balfour,
your posts are always interesting. Yes, I can read music, but mostly play by ear. I’ve played many different instruments over my life, but found that my breathing was deteriorating with age, so rarely play the wind instruments now.

Interesting to hear your story – mine is much the same. Even before starting any instrument I was always singing. I was lucky to have an enthusiastic teacher (straight out of college) to inspire me on the piano, but my life changed forever when my mother came home with a guitar!

Music has always been a big part of my life, and my current sadness is that I can’t play in the band I belong to.

The harp would be a nice quiet, reflective instrument for me. I thought it was more complicated, but you and other members have explained the pedal system very well.

I will update you when I’ve found a teacher.

Kind regards,

James

[wil-weten]

Hi James, as to ‘nice, quiet instruments’, some harps are indeed nice, quiet instruments, others are relatively loud (yes, these are nice too).

You said that your house is full of instruments and that your children are free to play them, so I guess (and hope), there’s no problem with thin wall and neighbours who don’t believe in live and let live.

If you’d like to play in the little hours, while everybody else is asleep, you may prefer a harp that can be played quietly and still sound nice. Some harps sound significantly louder than others who have about the same amount of strings.

[balfour-knight]

Thanks, James. You, too, Wil! Yes, the interesting thing about a harp is its quiet voice which projects so very well! I was on vacation, playing my Dusty FH36S on the pier at a marina on our Outer Banks of North Carolina a few summers ago, and folks could hear the harp music very far away, along the banks of the marina! They came to the pier and made up a very fine audience as I played requests.

I remember looking at a Lyon & Healy 85E pedal harp a few years ago which had a very quiet voice, superbly suited for playing dinner or background music. I opted for a new harp which had a brighter voice for what I intended to use the harp for, but I always remembered the great difference in tone the E had.

Happy harping, my friends,
Balfour

[james]

Hi Wil,

I’m in a detached house in a village, so noise isn’t a problem.

Obviously there are many different instruments, but you and others have given me wonderful background information. I will soon be looking for a teacher.

James

[james]

Hi Balfour,

That sounds like it was a lot of fun! I was in the south of France many years ago with an orchestra. A group of us were exploring the local roman amphitheatre, and on the spur of the moment we walked onto the stage and sang “Locus Iste”.
All the other tourists sat down and listened. You should definitely take your harp if you go there!

[balfour-knight]

Hello James,

I do usually travel with a harp, even on vacation. My Dusty FH36S “Cherie” is easier to transport and to pack around, so she is my instrument of choice to take with me.

Glad you are in a “detached house.” That is much better for playing, and practicing on, instruments! I have been lucky that neighbors like my music, but it is good to not be in the same building, you know!

Best regards,
Balfour

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