[eliza-morrison]

I’ve received my share of harp jewelry, harp stationery, harp Christmas ornaments, harp t-shirts, etc. None of them are my cup of tea, though I appreciate the generosity and thoughtfulness of the giver. Much more practical, and much more needed and wanted, would be a gift certificate for strings, or a cool ergonomic tuner, or an offer to babysit for a couple of hours so that I can practice!

[eliza-morrison]

I would absolutely go with the “knock your socks off” instrument, assuming it is structurally and mechanically sound, and not in need of imminent expensive repairs.

[eliza-morrison]

This has only happened to me twice in thirty years, and both times were very surprising. One client was a chapel of national historical significance and the other a major university. I have never had a problem with a private individual failing to pay, in all my years of playing and performing. In the two cases I mentioned, my pleas for payment appeared to fall on deaf ears, until I finally sent each a letter saying I would not have expected such unethical conduct from their institution. That did the trick and both finally paid, months late.

[eliza-morrison]

A lovely note which must be a great relief to you as well. Good luck in getting to the bottom of this, Carl.

[eliza-morrison]

Carl, I really feel for you. It is a terribly painful experience to have one’s words taken out of context, distorted, edited and/or used without permission. So sorry this has happened.

[eliza-morrison]

Thanks to both of you for the good suggestions. I’ll let you know what happens!

[eliza-morrison]

My straight soundboard harp sounded a bit “plinky.” When you switch to a harp with an extended board, you’ll notice more fullness and richness of sound overall, and particularly a more resonant bass.

[eliza-morrison]

Hi Stephanie! First of all, relax. It is not easy music, but you CAN do it in 2 weeks. It is an amazing piece, very rewarding and I think you’ll be happy you got the chance to dig into it. I don’t have the markings, unfortunately, nor do I have the part in front of me. I’ve played the piece twice—first harp the first time, second harp the second time. Neither time was recently; so I can tell you what I remember in general, but can’t back it up with measure numbers. There is a moment where the second harp alone has short, harsh descending glissandi. These should be percussive and played near the board with some kind of a stick. I might have used the backs of two spoons. It definitely needs to come through! The hardest part of the piece, in my opinion, is a beautiful and rather show chordal section

[eliza-morrison]

I’ve never tried Burgundy.My favorite strings are Bow brand; to me they sound better than V’bilt classic…a more rounded, bell-like sound. I just had to replace a bunch of strings so had the opportunity to compare. My hesitation about Burgundy is that while I don’t mind visual imperfections, I wouldn’t want any other kind of imperfections. Maybe some Burgundy enthusiasts will chime in here.

[eliza-morrison]

I agree with the earlier comments. Marriage is about mutual accomodation, mutual courtesy, mutual kindness, mutual respect. This man does not respect you and does not consider you to be his equal. Controlling behavior such as his nearly always escalates, it rarely (if ever) gets better. Eventually he may resort to violence. In the meantime, statements such as “what I do is so much more important than what you do” are abusive.

[eliza-morrison]

What Anita, Paul and Brenda, and Amber said. Those are the top 3, for sure.

[eliza-morrison]

The Classifieds section of this website is presently listing two used Venus Classics for sale. The Venus website lists six. It seems unlikely, though, that you’ll find the instrument you’re looking for for less than $13,000. Best of luck to you!

[eliza-morrison]

All true, all good points. I’ve had to shorten/lengthen processionals and recessionals more often than not. It’s also true that people respond to the beauty of live music, of the instrument, of a real human being playing it. It’s warm and personal and beautiful, and wedding should be nothing if not warm, personal, and beautiful. We can hear canned music in the grocery store, at the dentist’s office, on hold with Verizon tech support, etc. Live music brings LIFE to the occasion and is unique and memorable. This is a special and sacred moment in one’s life, is it not? Honor it!

[eliza-morrison]

I’m a big fan of the Style 100, but Lyon & Healy and Salvi both make superb instruments. Rather than choose on the basis of a manufacturer, style, or any other broad category, it is essential to try out individual instruments to see which one has the sound and feel that is right for you.

[eliza-morrison]

David, you’re right, harpists put up with this disrespect on a regular basis, but it is impossible to imagine the dad encouraging his toddler to, say, yank an oboe out of someone’s mouth and start blowing into it “to see what kind of sound it makes.”

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