Thinking ahead

[kay-lister]

Again, I’m counting chickens before they hatch here, BUT . . . what is/are good books to get for the transition of lever to pedal.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

The ABC of Harp Playing and the Pathfinder Studies by Lucile Lawrence, for sure, as they are for both kinds of harp and use all the keys. The Art of Modulating gives practice in chord changes and sightreading without pedal markings. The solos in it by Salzedo are in different keys but without pedal changes. It really isn’t difficult though to do pedaling. It’s more of a challenge to be playing more notes with more range and more bass in particular. There are tons of advanced beginner/intermediate solos.

By the way, are you related to Cynthia Lister?

[patricia-jaeger]

Kay, the Pozzoli Intermediate Studies are a good way to learn pedals gradually. No. 1 uses just the B and F pedals, sparingly. No. 2 uses B and G. No. 3, the F and the G. So on and on

[Mel Sandberg]

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I also believe in the Pozzoli Etudes of Moderate Difficulty.

[sherry-lenox]

Mel, I’m so glad to hear your positive comments about the Pozzoli Etudes. Even some of the ones from the first collection (published in the Grossi book) are really lovely to play.

My teacher hasn’t mentioned the second book, but I bought it when I started to really get into the first set, so maybe she’ll let me start some of those instead of the Bochsa that I can’t seem to find.

[kay-lister]

Thanks to all.

Saul – no relation that I know of.

[rosalind-beck]

Kay, Yolanda Kondanassis book “On Playing the Harp” has some very good exercises for learning to use the pedals.

[tony-morosco]

When I got back into pedal harp I also used Yolanda Kondonassis’ book. It helped.

As an aside I also play Barbara’s arrangement of Premier Arabesque and you are right, it isn’t easy. Of course it could be because Debussy apparently never met a triplet he didn’t like.

As a good exercise for getting used to pedals I also suggest simply trying to play pieces you can play on lever harp but that require lever changes on the pedal harp.

That will quickly teach you to think in terms of pedals. The idea that you have to keep in mind that when you engage a pedal you are changing ALL the strings of that note is actually a more difficult concept to deal with than the actual changing of the pedals. That simply comes with practice and you will quickly learn what pedal is where and how to move it quickly, smoothly and most important, quietly.

Pedal changes require as much of a sense of timing and rhythm as any other aspect of playing, but that comes with just doing it so start with the music you know that has accidentals in it and that way you can afford to put

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