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My chromesthesia used to drive me (and my teachers) nuts! Sometimes the colors are pretty close together in the spectrum. My little “cheat” when I first started playing harmonics was to tune my harp, and then make a *tiny* mark with magic marker (my sweaty hands rub it off after the piece) where the best place to pluck the enharmonics on the string is. That way, you can see the colors that coorespond with pitch regardless of whether your levers are engaged
Yes, and I don’t see what the big deal is. In a few ways, owning a harp is like having a new pet. Its expensive, demands attention, high maintenance, and was purchased for the love/appreciation/dedication. I guess its weird. I don’t have that kind of connection with my car or my couch. I don’t greet my computer with a hug or a hello. I suppose it just has to do with the size and nature of the instrument. I have never heard of anyone buying and insuring a harp if they did not LOVE the instrument.
As for decorations: Yes! I hang a lei from the crown of my column made of scrunched cloth feathers (there’s no plastic so it does not buzz/scratch) I kept it on and forgot about it after a while. I liked playing with it because it reminded me not to take myself too seriously. A beacon in the insanity that was the music department, if you will. For one of my first final Juries I FORGOT TO TAKE IT OFF BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE. There was a time limit and I realized I could not remove it so I carried on. Under the comments the judges wrote “5/5 for attire, even the harp was well dressed! :)” I guess I lucked out. Sometimes if I am playing a gospel choir gig, I will ask what color the uniforms are and hang a matching scarf the same way the day of the performance. So far, that has worked out very nice
Totally agree. There are 2 types of blisters: “water” blisters and blood blisters. I think the blood blisters are the more painful of the two. My secret is that my gig bag is 1/4 first aid kit. I keep a bag of rite aid sterile alcohol pads to harden my skin a little bit but more importantly, rather than use my teeth, I use the pads to clean sterile pins or needles (its not as scary as it sounds) and just lightly poke a few holes to drain the blister. Then I use another pad or some liquid bandage/antiseptic to keep it clean. This way, I’m not tearing off skin and making my fingers too tender to practice. But I get it, practicing less is not always an option! If you are going to perforate with a needle, I suggest doing it as soon as possible once the blister starts to hurt, otherwise you may have excess skin to deal with. I have also heard of harpists using superglue??
Funny you should bring that up. I find it interesting when people bring up the word “distracting” when talking about cosmetics in any type of a performance. I guess it depends on what type of venue the polish is intended for. The only circumstance I could see polish being a problem would be anywhere my performance will be judged professionally. There was one time I jokingly asked my conductor if I could perform for the class while wearing a trench coat and a bowler hat. He said “When you can play like Harpo Marx, I’ll let you wear the coat.” He had a point. If someone is talented enough to be in situations where their hands really are being watched that closely, and their performance is SO good that the only way for the judges to knitpick your score is to scrutinize your “distracting” nail color, there’s a good chance they are talented enough to pull off whatever color they want in a more casual setting or one with the audience so far away their fingernails could not be seen. Where’s the line? Whether its nail polish, a tattoo you just can’t hide, or a whacky Mohawk, is it safe to say what really matters is if the player is comfortable enough to put on their best performance?
this is my opinion only,
I would say be aware of what type of sound your pick produces
Try to make it sound as natural (like its from your own fingers) as possible and avoid the “kuh-chunk!” sound.
I like to use the rubber wedgie picks or sometimes a well broken in felt pick that I keep on a small cord (so I don’t lose it while scrambling back and forth from picks to the rest of the music). Make sure to give yourself enough time to pick up the picks off your music stand and put them back before you start playing the rest of the passage.
Hope that helpsIts really nice to see a harpist that’s doesn’t think wearing nail polish is a mortal sin. I agree with Sarah. My advice would be once you pick those nude tones, don’t use a top or base coat (or anything with high shine or sparkles). I find this cuts back on the infamous buzzing. True, it won’t last as long, but you can always paint them later. I think the most distracting thing to a harpist that wears polish is when your polish chips. I tend to fixate on it if there is a large chunk of color missing. I like to use a nail laquer or even a peel-off nail polish so if there is a blemish, I can just peel the whole thing off
