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I was thinking of asking the same question. 🙂 it seems a lot of lever harp music is arranged from something else, much of it seems to be made for beginner/intermediate, or for children.
Deborah Henson-Conant also writes music for lever harp. I have her “nightingale” book and it is lovely. I am not familiar with any of her other music but youtube is a great resource.
Is there a certain style or genre of music you are looking for?
I had the unique experience of playing a single action pedal harp in a harp ensemble several years ago (I didn’t own it). I don’t remember the maker, but if I remember right, it was curved like the ones in the pictures. I think it had lower tension as well. I wish I could go back and play it again. 🙂
To me, the harp sounds like a real harp, with the background “ahh” added in later.
It’s impossible to know what kind of harp it is just by listening to a recording, but I’d guess it’s a smaller one. Kind of like the one in the picture. :). Sounds like nylon strings, or perhaps a combination of nylon and gut. Maybe someone else with more experience with different types of harps will chime in. It could be an electric harp, as Alyson suggested.
Good luck figuring it out. 🙂
As the parent of a child who takes private lessons, I’d really consider finding someone else, unless she makes an effort to treat her differently. If she had been playing for years and her love of music was more secure, I may give a different answer, but the budding musician is fragile sometimes. I wouldn’t want the first experience to be negative.
If you contact your local harp chapter, you may be able to find someone who is willing to teach your daughter, even if she is their only student. If you are okay with taking her to someone who is a little less experienced in teaching. Which in my opinion, is better than a teacher who is too harsh.
Chances are, there is another harpist in the area. where I live, there are harpists out there, it’s just hard to find them. Maybe ask around, at the local music store perhaps? You gave no clues as to where you live or if it’s a big or small town.
Good luck! I wish I could teach her. :). Let us know how it goes.
I believe you can loop playback on just a section of a score, as large or small as you choose. I don’t know the steps well enough to describe it right now, but check the website for explanation.
I don’t think it can be controlled remotely, but space bar starts and stops playback, which can be done more quickly than mouse clicks.if you can situate your harp close to the keyboard (or if you have a wireless keyboard, even better) it can be reasonably done.
You could try downloading an unfamiliar melody, and add in 4 measures of rests in between each 4 measures of notes, which would create a sort of call-response. That’s the best I can think of.
I have found the score database useful, although there isn’t much on there that is written by a harpist for the harp, but there is a lot that is for piano that can be adapted. I have also used musescore for violin, and for notating duets. Sometimes I want to arrange a song and finding one someone else has already done helps me get a head start. 🙂
I have been thinking about this post, and maybe I’m still a little hazy on what your goal is. Playing by ear can be defined as several different things. To hear a song and be playing along by the end of it is Playing by ear, but to make up your own arrangement of a song, without seeing sheet music or writing it down is also playing by ear. There are probably other definitions too. Having a better understanding of what it is you are wanting to do will help us give you better suggestions.
Hope this helps.
Clinton,
Have you tried musescore? It is a notation software that is free of charge. It might be helpful in your quest for the playback feature. You would have to input the notes (or find something suitable that someone else has generously done already and uploaded to the website) but you can change tempo, dynamics, transpose, automatic playback/loop, add a metronome tick, etc. So many wonderful features. I’ve used it for many things. I really like it, but if you try it and find it doesn’t fit your needs, you aren’t really out anything. It has a little bit of a learning curve, but the website has good answers to many questions.I don’t know if there is an easy answer.
I suppose you learn to play by ear the same way you learn anything musically–just try it. I would start by trying to pick out a melody of a familiar song. Start with the easy stuff and go from there. Learn music theory along the way. Practice it as much as you can, and your skills will improve.
I am somewhat like Balfour (although perhaps not as naturally talented) in that music has come more easily to me than it does to some. I have always liked to sing, which I think was the beginning. My mom put me in piano lessons at a young age, but it wasn’t until much later that I became a better sight reader, maybe when I was 12 or 13. And my sight reading still needs improvement. I have room for improvement in every area, come to think of it. 🙂 That’s the beauty of music–you can never be “done” learning.
So does that mean someone who is not naturally good at music can never be good at it? Definitely not! Anyone can be good at music, if they put in the right amount of effort. You may not win contests, but that is not often the goal.
Another suggestion is to find a friend to play music with, no matter their instrument. Playing together will help you keep up with your music, and can help if you can’t do formal music lessons. Plus you get to enjoy the company of friends and make beautiful music together. 🙂
And most of all, be patient with yourself! Music takes years to learn, decades to master. It isn’t done in a matter of weeks. It isn’t about the destination, it’s the journey.
THis may not answer your question, but hopefully gives you something to think about.
While some may disagree, my best advice is to lean away from buying a harp you haven’t played. Each harp has it’s own voice, and you have to hear it with your own ears. Play as many harps as you can (ask generous friends if you could sit at their harp for a while, perhaps?). It will give you a contrast to what you are used to, and help you better understand what sound you are looking for. There is no substitute for hearing it yourself. It may not always be possible, but at least try. I was recently trying out pedal harps, and I was surprised by what I liked and didn’t like.
Don’t shy away from buying a used harp, but be familiar with what you are looking at, and have a harp tech (or at least your teacher) look it over, if possible.
I have heard great things about Blevins, dusty strings, and my own harp is a lyon and healy lever harp, that I have been happy with. All these companies produce quality instruments. The rest is kind of up to you; the right one depends on what you want from your instrument, as far as levers, size/weight, number if strings, etc.
Whatever you do, buy the harp you love. I think it’s safe to say go with your gut on this one (no pun intended). Take your time, and wait for the right one to come along.
This is purely anecdotal, and probably not very helpful, but here goes. When I was first harp shopping many years ago, I ordered a harp I didn’t love. I liked it of course (all harps are beautiful, are they not?), and I figured it was the best my 3,000 could buy. A week or two later I got a call from the dealer, saying my harp wasn’t coming, and should she shred or return my check? I was disappointed and a little shocked, but resumed my search. I soon found the harp I ended up buying, and I know I am much happier with this one than the one I was going to buy. If you don’t love it, wait for another opportunity. I was saved by ‘fate’ and I am forever grateful for that.
Good luck! I hope you find your harp soon. :). And do tell us about it when you do!
There is a woman named Sue Hunt, who has created many games for children and music. Her focus is violin, but I think many if them would be adaptable for harp. Her website is musicinpractice.com. Some are more about practicing (think repetition, as required by the suzuki method) but again, probably adaptable for a lesson.
There are also apps and computer games or worksheets for teaching music theory. I second the suggestion of having some of the teaching period be done away from the harp, if she loses interest. It amazes me how something so small, such as a change of location or focus, can breathe new life into a child’s attention span.
Also, she may enjoy trying her hand at composing. My 7 year old, who plays violin, loves to make up songs. You can teach music theory through helping her how to notate her creations. Another thing he likes is to play pretend. Pretend you are in a concert hall. Or we go outside and map out the backyard and stand in a different spot and pretend we are playing for a friend or relative who lives there. I will post more ideas if I think of them.
Hope this is helpful. 🙂
I’ve heard it explained this way–a harpist is one who plays harp for the harp music, whereas a Harper is one who plays in order to accompany another instrument, usually one’s own voice. I don’t know if others will agree or disagree, but that is how I think of it. Harpists may tend to focus more on repertoire, theory, technique, difficulty level, while a Harper may focus more on the poetry of a song or accompaniment for another instrument.
But don’t confuse level of ability or talent. Some think of harpers as being less talented than harpists, but that is not my opinion.
I don’t think a person has to be one or the other. You can be both.
I feel the same way about fast music–I’m just not as good at it. It doesn’t have to be fast to be impressive and beautiful.
Which, if any, of these lovely pieces would be nice on lever harp? (I find a lot of classical music sounds watered down, either because they think lever harp players are beginners, or they have to allow for lever changes in the left hand.)
Thanks.I have a question about musescore. Have you figured out how to put the diamond note heads in the staff for lever changes? I can’t figure out how to get them to sit in the right place and still look as they should–like a whole note. If you know how, please fill me in!
No, not crazy at all! I “dabble” in guitar (I know a few basic chords, I accompany my fiddler son) and it’s fun! You also may find an advantage from harp experience; plucking the strings individually, rather than a strum, will feel really natural. And in sound, they aren’t completely dissimilar either. You may also find your understanding of chords learned from guitar will help you in your harp playing/theory.
When it comes to instruments, the more the merrier, in my opinion. 🙂
Carl,
I am curious, do you feel the same about teaching lessons? Should a new teacher charge the same rates an experienced teacher charges? (Others may chime in on this as well.)
Jerusha,
It occurs to me that the venue may be the reason for the difference in tips (art museum vs. coffee shop). People often enter an art museum free of charge, right? So you don’t think of it as a place where you will need cash. But people entering a coffee shop are those who a) can afford not to make it at home and b)are already planning to spend money. Tips are a funny thing.
And about cd’s, I wonder if people even have CD players anymore. Lol. You’d probably sell more if you had it on iTunes or downloadable somewhere. Put where to find it on the card.
Interesting comments about tip jars. I haven’t played in public much, but would like to get into doing it more, so it’s good to know about things like this. 🙂
