[Andelin]

I don’t think they use them now. I’ve owned my harp for 14 years, and it was purchased used. It is possible I am wrong about the name of the levers. Anyway, they are not the same levers they use on new harps now.

Thanks for your advice and kind words. 🙂

[Andelin]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. This is what I was hoping for. I wanted to wait to share my own experience so as not to ‘gum up’ my original post.

It started about a year ago when I was asked to play piano to accompany singing in church. I was far from perfect–and still am–but someone said, “well, you do a lot better than I could!” Sometimes I am basically sight reading it as they sing because I didn’t get the selections beforehand, other times I get them in time to practice. (I’ve had a few ‘train wrecks’ ). It has improved my sight reading for sure. 🙂 I realize I may not be a concert pianist or harpist, but what I can do is still worth something.

Second, my christmas performance…I asked a friend of mine who plays the violin to duet with me on a couple christmas songs for a church party. She hadn’t played much in a long time, and this was just a little out of her comfort zone. She didn’t feel very good about her performance; she had missed a note or two and her bow bounced a little once. But she did comment to me that as she spoke with people about it later she began to feel better about it. People loved it despite what she perceived as unforgivable moments. 🙂

Those who are perfectionists (like me) will understand….sometimes I am too hard on myself, not appreciating my own efforts as being my best, especially if I made a mistake. It can be hard to dismiss the thought that it could/should have been better, especially if i played it well during practice.

It’s like Saul said…the confidence of the performer goes a long way to glossing over anything that wasn’t done as written/practiced. But even if the audience does notice a mistake, they usually are very forgiving.

[Andelin]

Thank you for the tips and links. Some good close ups there. You weren’t kidding about Fiachra’s long fingers! Mine are like half that length. Guess I picked the wrong instrument. Just kidding. :). But seriously, I think my short fingers really do limit what I can do.

[Andelin]

My best advice is to talk to the manufacturer/person who made it. It makes a difference the type of harp, and wood used, tension, etc.

I talked with Venus harps once (a long time ago) about harps and humidity. I don’t remember all the details, but I do remember them saying that the harp will adapt to its environment, even if different from the place where it was made, so using tools to affect humidity isn’t always necessary. If you take it out of your controlled environment to play it somewhere else very often, you are better off not humidifying/dehumidifying, to avoid the sudden change that way. It would be different if you never move it.

I think frequent, sudden, extreme changes in humidity would be bad, but yours don’t seem to be sudden or extreme. The story I remember is about a woman who took her harp outside to the back porch to play, and wondering why it wouldn’t hold its tuning. Or maybe that was to illustrate temperature changes. I can’t remember now.

I know this probably isn’t that helpful of a reply…hopefully someone else will have more specific info for you.

[Andelin]

I did not major in harp. I first played a harp in college. So I never saw it as a viable option for me. Although I did think about majoring in music, but decided to go another route. I didn’t see myself as being talented enough to “make it” in music. I wasn’t looking very far ahead back then.

The questions I would ask myself if I were in your shoes:

Is playing/performing/teaching harp what I want to do when I grow up?
Am I okay with spending the next 4 years largely playing pieces chosen by someone else, or do I only want to play what I want to play?
Do I love it enough to spend the next four+ years doing practically nothing else? Will having to play harp make me not want to do it?

Can I be serious about it (without being too serious)? In other words, will being immersed in all things harp make me feel ‘overrun’ or will it be a joy to be surrounded by something I love so much?
What else am I interested in? What other gifts and talents do I have?
What are my life goals? Would it be a better fit to major in something else and keep harp on the side, or as a hobby?

Do I have patience with other people–future clients (“think bridezilla” once in a while) or demanding parents who have put a lot of money into their child’s musical education. On the other hand, what wonderful friendships will I find through music?

What do I want to do with harp? Can I do that while majoring in something else, or is a music degree required to accomplish those goals?

You may have other, more relevant questions to ask yourself.

To me, it seems the life of a musician is time consuming and you have to be dedicated to it, heart and soul. But it seems also to be very personally rewarding. You really are giving your audience a part of yourself when you perform or teach. Will that be fulfilling?

All that being said, you may think I’m trying to discourage you. Quite the contrary….at this point in my life I wish I had done more with it earlier. I wish I had taken a class in teaching music. I love my harp. I dream of the day I will finally buy a pedal harp. I want to teach lessons but don’t feel prepared for that yet. My first love is my children, which will always take priority over harp. But they won’t be living with me forever, and I think harp will fill the void, so to speak, for me.

[Andelin]

I don’t think it is strange at all. I love to sing. I am a pretty solid Alto, but not much of a soloist. I play piano, harp, and dabble in a few others. But I don’t sing and play together very well. I just don’t have the brain capacity for it, or else my musicianship hasn’t reached that level. I haven’t tried singing with my harp much; like others, I want the harp music to be heard by itself, and not have my voice detract from it. That said, I do enjoy listening to others sing and play.

I also want to add that I had a delightful time over the holidays playing a duet of “silent night” with my son, who plays violin. I made up a very simple arpeggio accompaniment. Sometimes a duet is sort of the best of both worlds.

To Janis–your piano may not be calling to you now, but I wouldn’t shelve it just yet. You may yet find a spark of inspiration. But we all need a break from things we love now and then. I’ve found that playing one instrument sometimes helps me understand the other better. Good luck to you.

[Andelin]

I know it has been a while and this comment may be too late, but hopefully it will help.

You could look up downton abbey music on musescore.org. You can print straight from the site or download the free software to make changes to a score.

[Andelin]

Thank you for your arrangement. I was thinking about this song just last week, thinking how much I like it and how I don’t have an arrangement of it.

I also watched the video of you playing it. I thought you did well. There was some commotion (as there always is at my house) so I may not have been watching as closely as I ought to have been, but I can honestly say I did not notice your “bzuh” moment. It was very nice music. Instead of pointing out what you thought was the worst moment, next time point out the best one, so that’s what people will watch for instead. 🙂

Thank you. It is simple and beautiful.

[Andelin]

Yes, I think that is the one. So pretty! Some harps are almost too ornate…but I love that one. *sigh* I will own a pedal harp someday. :). Thanks for posting the picture. 🙂

[Andelin]

I am hoping someone can comment a little more on how it sounds. How I would love to go see it! (It has been many years since I have played a pedal harp so I’m not sure I could give a good review here, even if I did see it.) I think it is a beautiful harp (as does my 3 year old, lol. I wish I could put into words his adorable response when he saw the picture on the computer) but I also admit it does kind of lack a “wow factor.” I like simple, clean lines and this one definitely has that. But when I finally buy a pedal harp, the sound of it will definitely come before looks or color, or even brand, to a point.

While people are mentioning beautiful harps, I remember years ago seeing an aoyama that was featured on a pamphlet of theirs. I don’t remember the name of it but it had beautiful floral carving spiraling all the way down t he column. Maybe someone else will know what it is called.

[Author]

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