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I’m currently teaching a 5 year old. I’ve taught a 7 year old before, and I was worried about taking on a 5 year old. There really is a huge difference between 5 and 7 year olds.
A lot of what Leo says rings true for me. I’m really glad my student’s father plays piano. He also watches every lesson and coaches her at home.
I think if you had to go down to a lesson every 2 weeks it’d be OK if she still practiced at home in between lessons.
My student has a 19 string harp at home to practice on and has her lessons on my 26 string Dusty Strings. Anything bigger right now would be too big for her, but I think the 19 string harp is going to be useless very soon.
I’d say something with 26-30 strings would be perfect and would last her for years til she’s ready for something bigger.
It’s all a learning experience for me at the moment, but I’ve found there’s plenty that can be done with just 2 fingers before moving onto 3 fingers. 4 fingers might be too much for a 5 year old.
Thank you for that Alison. I heard she lasted almost 45 minutes at her first lesson before getting twitchy! But I don’t expect that to always be the case.
I will start with thumb and second finger like you said, and then progress to three fingers. Will do walking up the scale and teach her the names of the notes. Will look into Kodaly, not familiar with the name….
Is it a pedal harp you’re thinking of buying or a lever harp? I can assure you that a good quality lever harp is a sturdy thing and can take a bit of knocking around. Yes, it likes temperatures to be fairly consistent (just don’t put it near a heat or air-conditioning source. My Dusty Strings FH32 is at least 25 years old and going strong.
Miss Hamilton (I love this piece) was composed by Cornelius Lyons, a contemporary of O’Carolan. It is the only piece which we can ascribe to him (only surviving piece).
I haven’t said my favorite O’Carolan piece because I think it always changes and there are so many more to learn.
Randal, busking sounds like a wonderful idea, something I’d like to do more of! I’ve got a Dusty Strings FH 26, and an FH32. Both are perfect for busking, I just wish I had the FH 34 for those low D and C strings.
Wow Deb, looks like you’ve got plenty of ideas for your Christmas wish list!
As for me, there’s nothing I need or want at the moment, *except* I’d like a (lever) harp with just two more strings at the bottom end, but I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon.
The simple answer would be what I have heard before, “Always get the best instrument you can afford.”
I bought a small Argent Fox wire strung harp from Melody’s Traditional Music about 10 years ago. I was very unhappy with it as the neck began to twist away from the pillar.
Melody’s was very accommodating and let me upgrade to a Triplett 25 string wire harp which was so much better. It was sturdy and beautiful to look at and the sound was gorgeous. I did get frustrated though with tuning it as wire harps are so much more temperamental than nylon or gut harps and the slightest turn of the tuning key often resulted in strings breaking.
I would still recommend Triplett over Argent Fox but maybe they have improved a lot in 10 years? Their website looks really good.
Ha ha!! I thought the same thing about the harps disappearing! A harp that shrunk and then got big again would be just as good….!
I agree Deb. It’s nice to feel we are all part of a community, no-one wants to feel they are being used for his / her advice alone, no matter what the question is about. I see that happen on other forums as well.
Asking a rabbi or cantor is definitely your best bet, but music from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ qualify? ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ isn’t tragic, but it is bittersweet….
What an interesting topic! Barbara, my story starts a bit similarly to yours. It wasn’t another person who mentioned it to me, but a voice inside my head (I sound like a crazy person! he he!). Like you Barbara, it was something I never *really* could have seen myself doing and I never considered myself particularly musical. I also had the dreaded piano lessons as a child but quit.
I decided to look into it. At the same time I was just getting interested in Irish trad music. Within a year I found a teacher. I had a lesson every week for 10 years! In less than a year of playing I was starting to get gigs! A coffee shop here, a wedding or a party there…
I started bringing my smaller harp to Irish sessions. A few years later I started up on the fiddle within with the same teacher.
On one of my trips to Ireland I met my husband and I now live in England (originally from Philadelphia). The journey continues…
