Is there a good fingering video?

[unknown-user]

That’s all right Kate, that happens to me all the time! In fact I think you touched on a couple things that I didn’t – especially that some people slide on the strings or that adjustments are always needed. It is always in a player’s best interest to not tense up! I was just trying to describe a clear and cut way to accomplish what Leonard asked with leaving anything ambiguous or up for interpretation. What I described SHOULD work perfectly at the mid range and should work reasonably well at low and high ranges with the small adjustments that I suggested. Of course, one should certainly know about the possible ways to refine his technique! But, Leonard, I would say focus on what I told you and then layer on what Kate told you. (while taking everyone else’s comments into consideration, of course!) Kate’s suggestions are more complex and should only be attempted once you have the basics down – and even at that the more complex techniques should be applied conservatively as they require more effort and work, which may or may not be worth it, depending on the situation.

I also forgot to mention that you should always play in the middle of the strings, unless there’s a reason not to – but thats a different story that you don’t need to here to resolve your issue.

~Sam

[unknown-user]

Actually, its good that you mentioned this, Sam.

[leonard victor]

Sam and Kate C.: Thank you so much for taking the trouble to answer so fully. I’m really grateful. Perhaps I came over a little rude in my earlier posts, but that was out of frustration at never being able to work it out, and yes I agree – As a piano teacher in the past, I never quite understood why purely mechanical things had to be quite such “a mystery”. You have both expressed very well exactly what I was looking for – confirmation that crossing and tucking IS desirable for speed and fluency.

I intuitively felt that must be the technique as “lurching” from one position to the next was not working. I’m finding going down the scale very easy now because the thumb is naturally going in the direction of “down” anyway. So that’s getting faster. However going up is much more difficult because while the notes are ascending, the thumb is sort of moving in the counter direction when it plucks, back towards the hand, and tucking the fourth finger underneath sometimes makes both thumb and fourth finger “weak” through being affectively stretched and going in “opposite” directions. If I do it very slowly I get firm notes, but going faster often means the thumb doesn’t sound properly.

I also see the problem of the tendency to “slide” down towards the soundboard or slide up away from it. I’m trying to keep the optimium point where the sound is best. If you have any more tips about the ascending, tucking movement I’d be grateful, but for now thank you both for being so helpful. I was beginning to think this question was somehow a “closed and mysterious” thing that was not worthy of discussion! My thanks and best wishes to you both.

[unknown-user]

Leonard,

I’ll make a piano analogy for you. When crossing the thumb under in piano, the thumb reaches as far as it can (ideally all the way to the key its going to strike next) so that there is no gap of sound. When crossing under with the fourth finger it’s

[leonard victor]

Hi Sam,

Thanks again for the extended tutorial. It all makes perfect sense, and yes, I see that having 2,3 and 4 in a line helps. Just a couple of hours is already reaping rewards and I’m beginning to get some flow already. Just like piano practice, one needs to get each motion so automatic that you get beyond “thinking” about it. Not at that stage but it’s coming.

Many thanks for your kindness and trouble.

Best Wishes,

Leonard

[unknown-user]

Hi Leonard,

I found this thread discussing instructional video/DVD’s. Not sure if its of any use or not.

http://www.harpcolumn.com/forum/message-view?message_id=1451167

Good luck!

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Great Britain is not that big of a place, I can’t believe there are no harp teachers within a two-hour journey of where you are. We all make a great effort to learn this instrument. I used to travel an hour-and-a-half in utterly bitter arctic cold, both ways, to have my harp lesson. I nearly lost my toes to frostbite, but I went anyway. (I’m actually not kidding. The winter of 1976-7 had from November to March temperatures no higher than 20 below zero Fahrenheit the entire time.)

[carl-swanson]

Saul- I’m sitting here rolling with laughter. That’s exactly what I thought too when he said he lived in England.

[leonard victor]

Very devoted to risk frost bite for a harp lesson. Yes, “little” old England is a small place compared with the vastness of Canada and the USA, and you’re right, I don’t need to risk frost bite either. It is more a question of dovetailing other demands, and distance, and availability of time. I’m not making excuses, but in any case the question I asked has been generously answered, so I’m content.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Yes, it took about 45 minutes for my toes to stop being numb when I got back to my dorm. Young people can be kind of dumb. Thankfully, Minnesotans know what frostbite is, so I managed to just avoid it.

As Miss Lawrence always said, it always goes back to position and action. If your fingertips are low on the strings and your thumb is high, then it is no great difficulty to cross over or under if you allow your lower arm to rotate as you do it. If you have your hand scrunched up, or don’t close your fingers all the way, then you will find it very difficult. But it is one of the hardest things we have to do.

[Karina Bell]

Have you tried contacting Morley harps, Leonard?

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