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Saul, how did you find this out? I have searched for more information on Tiny Beon but haven’t been able to find anything. I’d like to know more about her life and career.
“Inside” and “outside” are relative depending on whether the conductor wants the harps stage right or stage left. I’ve most often seen the second harpist on the first harpist’s right for the reasons given above.
Mel, “Noises Off” is a farce about the on-stage and back-stage antics of a theater group. One of the props in the play is a plate of sardines which is constantly mishandled and mislaid. If you ever have a chance to see the show, it’s incredibly funny.
I believe the 2010 conference is June 30-July 6. Check http://www.harpsociety.org for more information.
Jerusha, try this:
The harp should not be resting on your collar bone but on your shoulder. Next time you see your daughter’s teacher, ask her to show you how you should be sitting.
That’s a Salvi Arianna concert grand, and yes, she does appear to be rather tall.
I watched part of some of the other videos. Her delivery sounds like she’s speaking “off the cuff” rather than from a script. Among other things, she said Salvi and Lyon & Healy have been building harps for 150 years. That’s incorrect. Lyon & Healy built their first harp in 1889 and Salvi in 1954.
Many of us occasionally have posted information we thought was accurate and have recanted when we found we were wrong. It seems careless to make “instructional videos” with misinformation which can be so easily checked. Just my opinion, which is not worth much.
I agree your daughter should play the harps if possible. However, it also depends on the music she wants to play. There are some pieces which require bass notes not available on the Clio so you have to either omit them or play them an octave higher (not always possible). One example is “La Source” by Hasselmans. If her teacher doesn’t plan to assign works like that, no problem.
Also consider how tall she may become. She’s still growing at age 11. If her parents are each 5′ 7″ or taller, she may be that or taller, and she may eventually find a Clio too small for comfort, if the harp you buy now will be her only one. Is she tall enough now to comfortably play a larger harp? What does her teacher advise? On the other hand, a 44-string harp may satisfy any need she will ever have.
I’m not trying to talk you out of any particular harp. All three you mentioned are fine instruments. I own and use both a Clio and a concert grand. Everyone’s needs are different.
I think most people prefer to write in their own pedals, if you mean markings like Ab or F#, as opposed to pedal diagrams, which look something like a railroad track with vertical marks showing the actual pedal positions. (I tried to illustrate but it didn’t line up properly when I previewed it.)
Many people like the pedals marked below the staff. I wouldn’t put the diagrams in at all. But that’s just my preference. If you do put in pedal changes, please put right foot changes above left foot changes if they occur simultaneously.
Saul’s is a great suggestion. If any of us can make it to the AHS conference next year in Seattle-Tacoma, we could set a time and place to meet for coffee or tea or something.
Another consideration is if you play much outdoors. In areas with high humidity, the strings really take a beating over the course of a year and even break more often. I always change my strings after my outdoor season is over so the harp will sound its best for the holiday season.
I believe the type of string also has something to do with it. I find gut strings wear (or at least show wear) faster than nylon, although either can be false. I find my (pedal) harps sound best with new strings, and a new set of base wires always improves the overall resonance. Perhaps the age of the instrument is also a factor. And everyone’s aural perception is different, based on experience and preference. There are so many variables.
