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I agree with you, Wil, but you sound like a reasonable person!
(I did raise my rates a few years ago and lost jobs over a difference of $25! Ah, well…)Subdivide the beats so you understand how they relate to each other, and practice very, very slowly. You can gradually come up to tempo after the pattern becomes firmly established in your mind and your hands.
I’ve had this problem, and it’s difficult when one hasn’t established a limit on number of meetings (hard to enforce). Why not offer a brief phone meeting instead and play a few snippets for her to hear? Keep it short.
You’re a professional and don’t need to have your progress checked. I could maybe understand this for a concert setting (Ceremony of Carols, etc.), but just reassure her that you have it covered and not to worry. She may be bugging all her vendors, or they put her off so she’s latched onto you because she can. Gently let her know you’re busy with other clients besides her. Good luck! Some of them are just that way.
Love your recording. That is a beautiful song! So glad to hear that you are well and still playing. Keeping you and your family in my prayers. Take care of yourself, and never stop playing the harp, Basel.
Since it’s a rental house, I suggest the chair mat, as it will not flatten the carpet over time as much as the plywood. It may make little prickle marks in the carpet but those will disappear when you vacuum. It need only be large enough for the harp, although most will accommodate your bench, too. Remember pedal harps have rubber inserts on the rear feet specifically to keep them from sliding, so no worries there.
I use the Peterson VS-II Virtual Strobe Tuner. Had it for years and it’s great. I do plug it into my harp’s speaker output jack, but you can use a clip-on pick-up. Has a quarter-inch jack input.
Someone’s at it again. This time the name is Mike Benson, on the Knot.com, who wants to surprise his daughter at her wedding on June 24 at a venue here in Atlanta. Thought it was legit until he replied still asking for info I’d given and wrote the key phrase: that he was working offshore in Canada but lived in NJ and to use only email. I asked the Knot to remove his posts. So tired of this foolishness. Wastes my time.
The harp will be fine in the car. I’ve been column loading since 1989 with no problems. Be sure to put good padding (like cushions, not pillows) under the harp against bumps on the road. However, I would not leave it in the car overnight. Take it and any other irreplaceable valuables into your hotel room.
Probably buy the most harp you can afford as long as it’s good quality. Don’t buy anything without having it checked out by a good harp tech or experienced harpist. Advantage of new is the warranty, but those are good for only a few years. A new harp will not have developed its sound yet, but an experienced harpist can hear if it has a good sound and potential for better. A used harp will likely already have the sound it’s going to have. If your daughter’s tall, I wouldn’t go with the 40 string harps; they’re definitely small. But the Clio or another semi-grand should be fine unless you think she’ll be above 5’7″. Consider if she’s tall enough now for a larger harp; if not, playing and practicing will be difficult for her until she grows into it. Nothing personal, I don’t know your teacher, but some teachers get rewards from harp companies for new harp sales to their students. Most teachers want their students to have the best harp for that student, new or used, as long as the instrument has been carefully checked out. It’s a lot like buying a car: new or used?
There are lots of shoes out there that meet your requirements; main concerns are if you wear a rare size or have a strict budget. I don’t like to spend too much on shoes but sometimes you have to bite the bullet to get what you need. Payless used to have the perfect shoe but you can’t get the same thing every year from them, unfortunately. You don’t need an extremely thin or leather sole to feel the pedals; most composition soles will do fine. For example, check out the “Easy Street Fabulous Pump” from Old Pueblo Traders online. Has all the attributes you listed and is $49.99. If you find a shoe you really like, consider buying more than one pair to put in the closet for future use (after you’re sure you like them).
