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Thank you for sharing, Kay and others. It’s good to know that others survive through such ordeals, too. As someone who’s usually very comfortable playing in an orchestral setting, I want to share my experience here.
Back in high school, I asked the conductor for a “special” part in his newly chosen show pieces for the wind ensemble. I was asked to play the bass part on a synthesizer. I thought it would be easy and fun at first because I already had all those years of piano under my belt. Oh, how wrong I was! That part felt especially exposed because it comes in right after the rest of the wind ensemble finishes making random noises to imitate a jazz band sound check (yes, within the piece), and I needed to get the tempo just right to lead in the section. I cannot tell you how frustrating that part was to play and I only had myself to blame. I tried to clear my head, I tried to quietly count the tempo during the “sound check,” I tried to tap my foot and even tried to turn the volume down to mask my insecurity (got asked to turn it up during rehearsal though). Get this: it was only very simple quarter notes. Needless to say, none of my efforts to calm myself really worked.
I barely made it through during the competition recording… then proceeded to crash and burn during the school concert with parents and friends in attendance. I felt so ashamed at the concert and my tears were on the verge of escaping by the time I packed up the equipment. I vaguely remember apologizing to the conductor (he’s one of my favourite teachers of all time, so imagine the disappointment I had in myself) and vaguely remember him telling me “it’s OK, you did your best” or something along those lines. That piece of music was probably one of the largest slices of humble cake I have ever had. I still haven’t gotten over it yet… Hopefully one day I can look back and honestly think that “it’s OK, I tried.”
It’s never too late to explore something new. There’s also no such thing as having too many hobbies. I’d say if you never try out new hobbies, you’d never know what you enjoy best, what might stick with you for life, and what just might turn into an actual career.
If you don’t have any/much musical background, I agree that taking up the keyboard will help with getting a feel and visual of reading music. It’s important to have a solid foundation of music theory. Perhaps you could ask your family to teach you the basics?
Regarding the harp itself, you would need to do some research on your own and decide which style(s) of harp music you like the best, and also which harp’s sound and aesthetics you prefer. Besides watching a ton of Youtube videos, this forum is a great place to read up on people’s impressions/reviews on different brands and styles of harps. There are also discussions on anything from harp strings to the type of construction material used. Do note, though, that every single harp is unique. Even two harps of the same make from the same brand with the same materials could sound different from each other.
There’s nothing wrong with buying a harp sight-unseen if you’re very sure about the harp and the seller. However, it’s always preferable to try it out in person before you make a purchase. Renting first may also help you get a feel of your preferences for harps.
If you are able to get into contact with that harp tutor in your area, try to set up lessons and/or consultations. She may be able to refer you to local harp rentals/dealers so that you can try out different harps in person. You could also ask her about recommendations based on your/her preferences.
For indoor playing, I have a reupholstered vanity bench in the exact height I want. It pretty much resembles my piano bench except with cabriole legs and cotton fabric cover. For playing outside informally, I like a simple folding stool with metal legs and a plastic seat. I’m used to playing music on stiff seats so I don’t need much padding.
If you’re looking for a folding chair, you should probably take into consideration your sitting height and your sitting habit. The latter is because some folding chairs are made for sitting right in the center. In that case, if you tend to sit on the edge of the chair while playing, it might become unstable and flip forward.
The obvious choice would be to get a standard folding music bench or stool. The height is adjustable and they are padded for comfort:
If you want something that looks like real furniture, this series might interest you:
Thanks for the link! The wonderful thing about Zelda music is that some of the pieces are in fact originally written for the harp.
An Official Zelda Piano Solo Book was recently published. It might be worth a look:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/The-Legend-of-Zelda-Series-for-Piano/19724793#I agree with what Kreig and Tony said. Reading the quote on its own doesn’t seem offensive. Was the tone condescending? Other points you may offer if the person seems interested: the earliest harps were all small harps no matter the origin; harps also come in many different types for different music such as lever, single/double action pedal, wire strung, cross strung, double strung, triple strung, Paraguayan, bray, etc.; if you aim to obtain a larger harp in the future, say something about as you progress, your harp will “grow” with you.
Haha… If they want you to “follow the piano,” they might as well just give you the piano score so that you could properly transcribe for the harp. I concur with Sylvia, please tell us more.
They usually call them concertino or concertina stands.
I would recommend the Manhasset Voyager line of stands as the base folds up and the stand comes apart in two pieces. Basically you get the same sturdiness and quality of the standard Manhasset stand with portability thrown in. The “lip” of the Concertino Voyager goes down to as low as 16″.
If you want something more elegant and made of wood, you can check out the Anderson music stands. They fold up into one nice little package and the “lip” of the stand goes down to about 20″. I think they also come with life time warranty.
If you’re not looking for something portable, then you probably have more options open for standard models or custom made stands.
Youtube video of the Athanasos model:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rZHZFzT6Ic
She has several more harp videos on her channel page. I believe she’s the same person as the poster Alithe on the German harp forums.
Just to chime in about Chinese manufacturers… My first piano was a Pearl River made in China. To me, that piano has superior touch and tone in comparison to the many other pianos I’ve played to this day. Although I love my current piano which has a similar feel, I still sometimes woe the fact that the Pearl River couldn’t accompany me overseas. Both my best friend and I got Pearl Rivers when we started piano studies due to our (same) teacher’s recommendation. Both are very good pianos. However, another family friend’s daughter who got a “store brand” wasn’t so lucky. That piano’s keys are clunky and the tone very muffled. (Not endorsing Pearl River here, just saying I’ve encountered good ones in early 90’s.)
The thing with the music instrument market in China (or anywhere else) is that if you go in as an amateur without having done any extensive research or have any help from a professional, it’s likely you’d look at the price tags first, which in turn might lead you to generic store brands. For every well made instrument out there, there are 10 or more mass produced “store brands”. Also there’s the problem with “pirated” (yes lol) instruments that are mass produced but illegally branded with a well known name. I can say the honour system started to go down hill some time in the late 90’s, around the same time McDonald’s started shrinking their burgers (if sooner then I was too young to notice).
My grandfather also owns a 50+ years old Chinese accordion that still plays well with minimal upkeep. (Granted I don’t know much about accordions.) My father had a Chinese harmonica back in his youngster days. He loved that thing and calls the present day Chinese made harmonicas junk. It seems like companies nowadays tend to lean toward making money instead of making good products.
Personally I hold Japanese craftsmanship in another regard. For the most part they still hold onto the tradition of being honest to their craft. My shamisen teacher has talked about how some of the newer (not by the masters) made shamisens have misalignment issues at the joints (as in the joint points not matching with certain notes), but at least they are still sturdy and sounded acceptable.
My opinions on two of the questions you posed:
“You have to be rich to play one”
Before I learned about the existence of small harps and lever harps, my only perception of “harp” was a large, heavy and expensive instrument. The only (pedal) harp I ever saw in person was owned by my first piano teacher. It was impressive and seemed unobtainable for my middle income parents. Many people start their music studies on the piano as it’s highly recommended and a “common” instrument. For the harp, it’s quite the opposite. With a limited used harp market combined with the fact that sometimes well-maintained second-hand harps cost more than its newer equivalent, it could be difficult for many to find the right “first” harp. After that, there’s the prospect of having to purchase multiple harps for different purposes. Personally I do not think you have to be rich to play the harp. However, it usually does take more savings and research for one to obtain a good harp that lasts along with study material/teacher.
“The harp has come a long way in organology and its so versatile today which I feel non-harpists tend to be naive too and have no idea what the instrument is truly capable of.”
When I talked to my mom about harps earlier this year, I was surprised to hear her say that harp is primarily an orchestral instrument, used as an accompaniment to other instruments or in a duet with the piano, that it’s not a good solo instrument (and something about playing one string at a time). Her perception stemmed from one single conversation with my first piano teacher. I had to tell her my teacher (very likely) said that based on her own repertoire. Harp is very capable as a solo instrument. I also told her about folk music and lever harps. If I did not correct my mom, she could easily pass off the same misinformation to another person. For those who only heard about harps in passing without any interest in doing in-depth research, it’s easy to hold onto a concept or opinion however uninformed, and pass it on. Without more contact with actual harpists or people “in the know”, limited exposure means more people will take any (mis)information for granted.
The word “multi-instrumentalist” is still quite new to me, even though I’ve been one for a while.
The instruments under “since” are the ones that either I still play regularly or I feel I have enough proficiency/interest that I will eventually pick up again.
Since age 5: piano
Primary school: small marching drum, marching baton
Since junior high: flute
High school: conga
Since age 20: shamisen, ocarina
Dabbled in: harmonica, accordion, guitar, french horn, bass clarinet, etc.I’m looking forward to starting my lever harp studies this year. Somewhere down the road I’d like my main instruments to be guqin, tsugaru shamisen and lever harp (yes, all string instruments!), with piano, ocarina and flute on the side.
I didn’t see any “official” photos of someone using the lap brace. If you watch the promo video here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2bZUOkRlKg
…around 2:40 you can see how the lap brace is mounted. Since the lap brace uses the same mounting holes as the legs, the height can be adjusted. (I think it’s 3 different heights each 1 inch apart.)
I can’t really make any recommendations, but I did choose the SweetHarp as my first harp. Although waiting in line for a custom made harp could be frustrating, it does fit my criteria of a portable, light-weight harp with good sound and the most number of strings in a small enough package, plus it can be turned into a floor harp. The reasonable price point means I can squeeze in more harp books and/or lessons.
Barbara, it’s good to know you’ve (finally) received your harp. Your assessment of its volume and tone is reassuring. I hope Chris will maintain all the good tweaks.
If possible, could you please post a picture or two of your new harp? It’s fun seeing all the custom colours.
You can send them to the e-mail address that’s listed on my Harp Column member page. Thank you so much!
