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Elizabeth- I agree with you. But you left out one other factor to sound production which is very important, and that’s how much you press into the string before you release it. No matter what the dynamic is that you want to play, pp to FF, pressing the finger into the string will give you a deeper, rounder sound. It’s particularly noticeable when playing octaves in the 5th, 6th, and 7th octaves. Try placing the octave, fingertips(4th and thumb) placed along an imaginary line at a right angle to the strings, and squeeze the strings towards each other before releasing them. Squeeze them hard. You can release them at any dynamic and they will still sound with more depth and sound less percussive then if you just place and play.
Sherry- building technique is an ongoing journey, and the ultimate goal is rarely reached. All of us at every level wish we had more technique than we have. I have a short wish list of pieces that I’ll probably never be able to play because they are killer difficult and make technical demands that are just not part of my repertoire.
I’m really impressed at how serious you all are about the harp and how you manage to fit it in with so much else going on in your lives. Good work!
Sherry- building technique is an ongoing journey, and the ultimate goal is rarely reached. All of us at every level wish we had more technique than we have. I have a short wish list of pieces that I’ll probably never be able to play because they are killer difficult and make technical demands that are just not part of my repertoire.
I’m really impressed at how serious you all are about the harp and how you manage to fit it in with so much else going on in your lives. Good work!
Sherry- building technique is an ongoing journey, and the ultimate goal is rarely reached. All of us at every level wish we had more technique than we have. I have a short wish list of pieces that I’ll probably never be able to play because they are killer difficult and make technical demands that are just not part of my repertoire.
I’m really impressed at how serious you all are about the harp and how you manage to fit it in with so much else going on in your lives. Good work!
Roslind- That’s a really good idea, and I don’t think it will hurt the finish. I would use a masking tape, preferably with a low tack.
The reason the pedals won’t stay in place(on the slot felts) when the pedestal is off is that the pedal spring performs two different tasks. One-the obvious one-is to push the pedal back up into flat position. But the other is to draw the pedal sideways towards the sharp position. It does this because the end of the pedal spring arm that attaches to the pedal bar is twisted so that it is not at a perfect right angle to the rest of the spring.
You can see this if you remove the pedal spring completely from the pedal and pedal stud. Hold the spring so that the arm that attaches to the pedal bar is pointing directly at you and the other arm is pointing at the floor. The right angle bend in the arm pointing at you should be pointing slightly up, not straight out to the side. This twist in the little end makes the spring draw the pedal sideways towards the sharp slot. That’s why when you have the pedestal off all the pedals want to move towards the center, the space between the BCD and the EFGA side. If you have a pedal that keeps slipping out of natural and/or sharp, the fix is to remove the spring from the pedal, clamp the coils of the spring in a vise in the position mentioned above and twist that little end up some more. that will make it pull the pedal sideways some more.
It’s unfortunate when this happens, but the fact of the matter is, all museums have limited space and must make the best use of it. I suspect that in most museums the musical instrument collection is one of the least visited. Maybe there is a way of dealing with this that will make everyone happy.
At the Smithsonian Institution(the nations official attic), there are dozens if not hundreds of warehouses out in the suburbs of Washington to house collections that will never be put on display on the Mall. They include antique farm equipment, antique airplanes, factory equipment, etc.) One of these warehouses is filled with all sorts of musical instruments and can be seen by appointment. They are kept there in a way that one can easily access them, and in the case of the many church organs there, actually play them. Maybe the V & A can do something like that.
As far as the harps are concerned, they ought to be displayed in period rooms or with period furniture or paintings throughout the museum. That would keep them on display, would make them seen by vastly more people, and force the museum to keep them in good condition.
Steven- You’re playing my transcription of Gradus ad Parnaqssum? Good for you! That’s not an easy piece.
Do you mark where you knuckle pushes against the string? Or where your finger tip plucks the string?
One of the harpists who did this regularly was Grandjany. Sam Milligan told me this.
Isn’t your teacher helping you with this problem?
OOOOOOOH NOOOOOOO! I’m not stepping into that one. But my opinion is based on very solid evidence and shared by other professional harpists.
Oh my Gosh! It’s incredible hearing her name mentioned again. Meta and I lived in Paris at exactly the same time. We both studied with Pierre Jamet, but because she is 4 years younger than me(she was 18 when we both moved there. Not together, but at the same time) she applied,and was accepted to the Paris Conservatory. She studied with Jacqueline Borot, one of the greatest teachers of the 20th century, and got a first prize from the Conservatory after 2 years of study there.
We’ve been in touch over the years, but I haven’t heard from her in a while. Last I heard she was playing on cruise ships. She’s a wonderful harpist and one of my oldest friends. By the way, she plays one of my harps.
We’ve got about 2 more weeks to rack up some more votes for Emanuel. So if you haven’t yet voted, please do. And ask anyone you can think of to vote for him too.
If you run into any problem voting on their site, just keep trying. It does work.
The Camac tuning pins are slightly larger than those of other pedal harp makers. When I got my antique Erard, my tuning keys didn’t fit it at all. Then I found out that Camac tuning keys work perfectly for Erards, and they do.
I agree with John Strand on this one. You need to have your doctor see what is actually involved in playing and moving the instrument. No amount of talking is going to convey the information he/she needs as well as observing what is involved.
I too am sorry for your injury and hope everything resolves quickly and adequately. Many years ago the “great” singer Florence Foster Jenkins( Queen of the sliding scale) was in a taxi when it had an accident. She was roughed up and the driver, knowing who she was, was terrified of a law suit. But a few days later he got a call from her secretary asking if he was OK and telling him that Miss Jenkins was actually grateful to him. “You see, as a result of the accident” the secretary explained,”Miss Jenkins can now sing a higher F than she could before!”
