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Moncayo’s Huapango has a very tricky and exposed harp part, but it would work almost completely for lever harp except for one or two places. In those spots, the left hand could be left out while it flipped a lever. The harpist would need excellent technique, though.
Here is a video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx2L5lbQ_e4Thanks, Clinton! We just played a concert of excerpts from the opera. Some of the tempi were very fast, i.e. the prison scene in the finale. It would have been great to have a second harpist. If we play this again, I will try to get them to hire one.
I love playing my pieces The Downstairs Spider and The Damselfly as a set. They are fun to play, on either lever and pedal harp, and are kid-friendly.
Look at the Royal Conservatory of Music Syllabus, which is available online. They have a lot of suggestions for lever harp, graded for difficulty. There are other syllabi as well, such as Trinity College in the UK and ABRSM.
If you are already reading articles such as the blogs on The Bulletproof Musician, then the problem may be your technique. This is almost impossible to develop without a good teacher. With the guidance of a teacher, Skyping if necessary, practise technique every day. Perhaps you would benefit from doing nothing but technical studies for a few months, to kick-start the process. Once you can run up and down scales, play noodly passages without falling off the strings, hit the harmonics every time, etc., then learn some pieces which are easy for you. Your next step would be to do “practice performances” of these easy pieces in front of an “audience” of stuffed toys or some similarly non-judgmental inert objects. Once you can play your “recital” satisfactorily in front of them, bring in family members, then raise the ante to neighbours. By the time you have done all this, your program will feel really good and you will feel much better taking it to the next stage. Do you have some good technical exercise books?
It amazes me that brides are willing to pay a huge amount for a DJ, a dress, cake, etc., but next to nothing for a harpist. Maybe it’s time we got a TV reality show with brides demanding really expensive, top-of-the-line musicians, and refusing to settle for cheaper, less competent varieties. That would change the perception! I really hope it is not about skin colour in this day and age.
The only time I use the back on my chair is when I am playing in the orchestra and sitting for long periods of time while counting tacet bars. One should sit at the front of the seat when playing, so it shouldn’t matter whether the chair has a back or not. Are you sitting all the way at the back of your chair? That might be part of the problem.
I think Saul must mean that a back brace supports the core, but strengthening can only be done by exercises.I am very relieved to hear that you are somewhere safe, and with your harp, too. I am also very glad that your family is out of there. I hope that you will all be reunited, as soon as possible.
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
A Soprano On Her Head by Eloise Ristad
The Logical Approach to Rhythmic Notation by Phil Perkins
The Practice Revolution by Philip Johnston
