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Kreig, you must live in a wonderful place. 🙂 The music in Protestant and Catholic churches where I live is equally inappropriate for its purpose. Protestants have never recovered, they’ve dug themselves in deeper; those that never gave in to the rock “worship” music have about ten members. There are two Catholic churches and a Baptist church (which my husband attends) within a 7-minute walk from my house, but I actually drive 40 minutes each way every week, and this is a big reason why.
Vatican II (the document was called the Sacrosanctum Concilium) gave the folk/rock movement an opening. No, it’s not entirely to blame. People were the ones making the decisions, not a document! The document did, however, give the tiniest little opening to music that had previously been considered rogue, and in America we took that and ran with it. Specifically, the following item:
116. The Church recognizes Gregorian chant as being specially suited to the Roman liturgy. Therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services. Other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action as laid down in Article 30.
The “by no means excluded” allowance was deliberately misread as positive encouragement. And this is where I could start writing a 15-page essay of related problems, so I’ll stop there. If anyone’s interested in the subject, you can read more at [MusicaSacra](http://musicasacra.com/about-cmaa/faq/)
The Catholic Church in America is *extremely* confused about its music. I say this as a Catholic musician, and I could go on about it for dozens of pages. It’s very, very unfunny — especially given that the rules are, and always have been, quite clear. The changes of Vatican II were completely and deliberately misapplied in the U.S., and we’ve been suffering for it ever since. In the last 5-7 years or so there’s been a growing movement to bring back the dignity and worship necessary to the music in the celebration of the Mass. More priests are starting to climb on board, which may be where you’re suddenly seeing these changes.
Wedding marches such as the Bridal March from Lohengrin have always been inappropriate because of the context in their original operas; also, they are associated in popular culture with sentimentality rather than worship. But individual priests have a lot of leeway within their parishes, and some choose not to enforce the rules.
Conservative is usually safe (although there are parishes that will get very angry over conservative music choices). The questions to ask yourself are:
1. What is the origin of this piece? If it’s from a movie about vampires, don’t use it. (A music director I know once mentioned that a priest had approved “Bella’s Lullaby” for a Communion meditation! After I told the MD what that was, the priest rescinded his permission).
2. How does “the world” perceive and use this piece? If there are popular spoof words to the tune in your region, don’t use it.
3. What is the mood of the piece? Will it contribute or detract from worship? Joyful is good and appropriate, but anything raucous should be discarded.I hope that helps.
Eddie, I’ve taught myself to play, but I’ve also had two lessons over the past two years, and I’m a music teacher myself. So I come at this from both sides.
It is possible to “teach yourself.” Some people actually do very well with it; a lot depends on your personality and innate drive to learn the instrument. If you don’t have the resources to take lessons (money, available teachers, etc.) it’s a viable option, as long as your goals are modest. Don’t expect to become an orchestral harpist all on your own!
However, learning with the help of a teacher is *much* more efficient. I spent something like six months searching on my own before I found the tuning technique to keep my 36-string harp from sounding all crunchy even when the electronic tuner said it was perfect. A teacher would have been able to show me that in one lesson. Teachers also have tips and tricks they can pass along very easily, though it would take a lot of trial-and-error and experience for you to earn that same information yourself. Furthermore, teachers tell stories which will educate you about harp culture, not just harp playing, and that perspective is also much more laborious to gain on your own.
Since you have a local harpist/teacher and don’t seem to be super-duper strapped for cash, I would say definitely take some lessons. If in the end you decide you just want to play around with the instrument, you can always drop the lessons later and you’ll still be that much better off because of them. But if you have the resources — use them!
Good luck on this exciting journey! 🙂
I have Truitts, and I love them.
-They don’t shorten string life.
-The tone of the strings stays true when the lever is engaged.
-(Camacs are better for easy regulation. Truitt regulation is pretty middle-of-the-road.)
-They don’t come loose, um, ever? I’ve never had that problem.
-You don’t have to throw them all the way up in order to get an accurate pitch, which is helpful for fast lever changes.
-I have colored heads on my Cs and Fs, so they are easy to see.Also:
-They look gorgeous on the harp.
-They don’t tarnish because they’re gold-plated. I have one or two that are barely starting to show the base metal underneath, but I can only see it when I’m sitting at the harp; at some point in the next few years I may try to get those handles re-plated.
-The action of the throw is smooth and easy. They feel good to use.
-EDIT: I forgot to mention that I can engage more than one lever at a time with these, which is good for fast lever changes.I’m a fan of letting the natural beauty of the wood shine through — otherwise, why wouldn’t you get a harp made of carbon fiber? (Don’t get me wrong, I do want a carbon fiber harp — but I’d get that it in “natural” black, too!) My harp is not stained, but was sealed with a wax finish and allowed to age naturally. Besides looking gorgeous, this has the added benefit of hiding dings very, very well. I use my harp heavily and move it around often, so it does have some bumps — but you can only see them in very specific lighting (they’re basically invisible). A black finish would scratch to show the wood underneath, and would make imperfections much more obvious.
I bought my harp used, so I didn’t make the decorative choices, but it has a hand-painted Celtic knot on the soundboard, and I really feel it adds interest without being overwhelming. You can see a picture on my profile.
Decoration is very personal, however, and if you think you’ll sell the harp someday it’s a good idea to keep it to a minimum. I’m always keeping an eye out for a Heartland Serenity (their old therapy model), but the last one I saw had these feathery leaves painted all over it in bizarre colors, and I found it extremely distasteful. I know the seller lost out on at least one buyer because of the decorations on that harp!
The only benefit I can think of to placing bottom to top is that it helps students conceptualize the spelling of a chord. I teach adult novices, and so far they’ve all had a hard time grasping the fundamentals of chords when they’re first starting.
These other points are very good though, and useful. Exactly why I keep up with this forum. Even though this isn’t my thread, thanks folks! 🙂
Tracey – Hahaha, that made me laugh! I think it’s clear that most people have no experience handling something so precious, especially something precious which is also their means of supporting themselves.
Last year I brought my harp to a talent show (never again), and even though the sound tech *knew* I needed quiet and time to tune, he intentionally left it out of his plans — and told me so. We had a mild spat backstage during intermission when it came time for me to tune and there was no space or quiet for me to do it, and he walked away to cool off, muttering loudly as he went, “It’s no different than any of the guitars here!” I yelled back, “It has THIRTY-SIX strings!” Which was as much detail as I could squeeze in before he rounded the corner. lol That was the day I tuned in a piano box….
From this I learned that for people accustomed to cheap guitars, harps are like unicorns. 🙂
Lyn, I’ve found that the Harpsicle stands do require some upkeep. Mine get a lot of use, and they tend to start sticking at the bolt attaching the stand to the harp. I instruct my renting students to bring their stands in when they start to stick; I give the student a working one to take home, then take the sticking stand and swap out the t-nut and bolt for new ones. Regular lubrication with powdered graphite may also help. I keep some on hand for the stands I use myself, and when I first notice a little reluctance I puff some into the nut and onto the bolt.
It is annoying, but easy and very inexpensive. I wish the stands were of higher quality, but I haven’t found a substitute, and I find them useful enough (and the Harpsicles cheap enough!) that I’m willing to do the work.
It may be worth noting that very small children probably don’t even need to use a stand. They could kneel on a pillow or on the floor, and the Harpsicle could sit on a mat. Slightly older children may be able to sit on a low stool, with the Harpsicle still on a mat on the floor.
Oh my goodness, David. I’m so glad I don’t live in a place with those resources. That kind of excess in such a venue makes me ill. My husband said, “What if this is a big fundraiser, and that’s money is going to go for something worthwhile?” But even if that’s so, I’m sure there are ways to raise money with a better return on the investment…. And look how badly they’ve damaged an important relationship. Good heavens. What a mess.
I would recommend a Harpsicle. I have several, and have used them with young children. Like Jennifer said – if a Harpsicle gets scratched or dinged, it’s not the end of the world. An added bonus is that Tasty Harps Co. sells an adjustable stand — so you can adjust the height of the harp to every child.
Harpsicles are $399, the case is $85, the adjustable stand is $79 (then add shipping). I wouldn’t want to invest any more than that for children ages 3-5, and the string spacing on Harpsicles is close enough to higher-end instruments that it will be useful for the older children too.
They… might let someone *else* use **your** harp?! I’m, wow, shocked. Please do keep us posted. Who would think to include a contract clause about total strangers using your privately owned, expensive instrument? Good grief.
Emma, I’ve had persistent left shoulder pain with harp playing (if I play long enough, my shoulder freezes up completely for up to a few days), so I’m starting Alexander lessons next month too. Is your teacher able to apply the lessons directly to the harp, or do you have to do that on your own? I’ve seen the e-book but don’t have an e-reader, so it hasn’t been an option.
Congratulations, Deb! I hope you and your family enjoy many, many more happy years together. And welcome back to the harp. 🙂
