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I’d recommend Pamela Bruner’s “Play the Harp Beautifully” because you can buy both books and DVD’s to refer to when you have questions about hand position and other things.
— Alice in windy Wyoming
Hi Shelby,
I regularly play for weddings and receptions on a 34-string harp and in the last 5 years have had 2 pieces of music that called for those 2 highest strings. I just dropped the last arpeggio down an octave and I wonder who (except the original
Parts of Wyoming have beautiful mountain scenery – the most famous probably being the Tetons in the northwest corner of the state.
The buildings in my part of the state are at the most 150 years old and the floors are all wooden, so uneven stone floors are virtually unheard of!
— Alice in windy Wyoming
I carry several pieces of rubber shelf liner in my gig back. You can get the kind with holes in it or another version that is just like a rubberized mat.
I actually used mine yesterday when a wedding coordinator set me up to play with my harp half on an area rug and the other half on a slate floor. My pedal harp was definitely not steady! I just folded my rubber mats to the size, shape and thickness I needed and set my harp down with no problems.
Outside I bring a 3×6 foot piece of plywood (painted green for “grass” on one side and brown for “dirt” on the other side) for my pedal harp. It’s big enough for both me and my bench. For my Celtic harp, I just have a several pieces of Plexiglas (one is 12×18″, the other is 18×24″) to put under the harp. These would also work well indoors.
Hope one of these ideas helps.
Alice in windy Wyoming (where it is a very pleasant 73º right now)
Send in the Clowns for the groom and groomsmen (more than one wedding)
“Love Theme from Rocky” for the groom’s entrance — we found something else to substitute; it sounds too much like the “Theme from Rocky” which every marching band in the country has played on a football field at one time or another
“Darth Vader’s Theme” for the groom’s entrance — we found something else; it’s hard for me to sound like a full symphony orchestra brass section
ZZ Tops “Gimme All Your Lovin'” — I’m finishing that arrangement this week. When I finally found a ‘lullaby’ version on the Internet and sent part of an MP3 to the bride to show her what it would sound like, she LOVED it and still wanted it!
I’ve seen the “Gift of Love” words to the “Water is Wide”, but I usually demur on “Greensleeves,” “She Moved Through the Fair,” and “The Ash Grove” because of the words.
Another suggestion is to pick up Louise Trotter’s book “First Steps to Harp Improvisation.” It will give you a lot of good ideas for improving bass lines, has study pieces to work on and an accompanying CD.
— Alice in windy Wyoming
If Kalmus carries the music you can get a lot of information here (http://www.kalmus-music.com/). Clinton Nieweg’s editions are also listed with full instrumentation information.
— Alice in windy Wyoming
Roger Muma posted this information on the HarpList this morning.
“I’m on digest version of the list or I might have been able to respond
sooner to Skye’s post about the opening ceremonies. The harp on stage was
Lorena’s troubadour I think that she has had for ever. The sequence of music that
she played it in was very short and the camera did not feature her at all.
It was part of the fiddling sectionI saw them too — they were also directly behind the officials while they were doing the welcome speeches. I saw the pedal harp move (tip back) to be played at the end of those speeches, but I never saw anyone playing the lever harp. I wonder when it was used?
— Alice in windy Wyoming
In my rural area, smaller shows (80-140 brides) are the only options available. Over the years I have purchased a table cover with my name on it, a vinyl banner for the back of the booth, a wooden easel for another poster, etc. I always have an assistant who is good at selling to talk to the brides so I can play or go and network with other vendors who might refer work to me. I always bring my amplifier and candy. I use a digital picture frame to display photos from past weddings. I keep my table along the side of the booth welcoming people in, instead of across the front keeping them out.
I have to book at least two weddings to meet my out-of-pocket expenses, and I always seem to. Am I booking 20 weddings? No way! But I keep going because it keeps my name out in front of other people who have hired me for birthday parties, receptions
My physical therapist agreed with Laurie that tension while harp playing was the cause, and specifically tension caused by keeping the forearm muscles tense while sticking out the pinky.
Coincidence or not,
