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I have the same hands as your student, Saul, and it is such a nuisance not to have a longer fourth finger. The third finger’s knuckle can be pulled into contact with a vibrating string when the fourth finger reaches for the bottom note in a large chord, for example. If there are large spans, in a 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 passage, it is impossible to place the fourth simultaneously without causing the third finger to be in such a distorted position that it gets stuck. In some cases, I have to eliminate a middle note of a large chord or re-voice it just to be able to reach the notes without buzzing in the middle. However, with a few adaptations, it’s amazing what you can do with even less-than-ideal finger proportions. The key is not to be too dogmatic about the “rules”. Henriette Renié’s Method Book discusses this issue.
Alice Giles playing Traipsin’ Through Arkansas by Salzedo, and Sivan Magen playing Ballade by Renié.
This piece isn’t difficult if your fingers are articulating properly, so Grade 4 is just about right. It should be practiced so that the fingers pull into the palm, very relaxed, the notes should be even and flowing (lke a fountain!), and the melody should be brought out.
I have never seen “30s” as a speed; it must mean something else. How short are these pieces? Is it possible they are 30 seconds long? No tempo marking except “Gracefully”: the piece should not go so fast that it sounds frantic nor so slow that it resembles a dirge.
Are you taking breaks in your practicing? Anything more than an hour at a time is a recipe for tendinitis. You have to rest completely during your break, and not do anything with your hands, such as chopping, knitting, writing, etc. If you are trying to larn music in a hurry, you can use some “break” time to practice mentally, but not physically. The other replies you have already received are very good! Practice slowly, relaxing between each note, and breathe deeply whenever you feel tension creeping in. Notice exactly which motions are producing pain and see if you can alter your technique a bit to make it more comfortable. It might be a matter of wrist angle or thumb action, for example.
Your teacher was right to teach you about page-turning. It can ruin a performance if the pages are arranged haphazardly and fall off the stand or distract the performer. In orchestra jobs, there is no time to memorize, and some of the page turns are impossible. Sometimes I make a “short-hand” version of the part to eliminate the page turns. This can be accomplished with the use of repeat signs instead of the entire bar being re-printed, for example. Another technique is to notice if an entire section is just like a previous one, so you can write a memo such as “reh. #101 exactly same as #89”. Sometimes you only need to copy a bar or two at the end of a page to get a good page turn. I have often made my own user-friendly excerpts and attached them inside the part for the next harpist.
I have adjudicated Kiwanis, and I listen for musicality, style and interpretation above all. Be sure your harp is in tune, too! To prepare for an exam, use your metronome every day to make sure your tempi are at least close to the specified speed, and the technique should be up to the speed indicated in the syllabus. To overcome nerves, play through your entire program every day for at least two weeks before the exam, in front of your fake audience of teddy bears, dolls, lamps, etc. Record yourself if you have the equipment, and then listen to the recording and write down what you liked and did not like about your performance, then work on improving it. If you do this, you will have an accurate idea of how you are going to play at the exam, and it will reduce your fears immensely.
I love gardening, but I don’t have anywhere near enough time to do a decent job of it! So our garden is full of perennials and bulbs that have to look after themselves. We have lots of rhododendrons which were planted by my husband’s parents in the ’50’s, so they are huge trees now. April and May are spectacular here! We have wild blackberries and cultivated raspberries and blueberries. The tulips are just opening up now, and the hyacinths and daffodils are still putting on a show. Wildlife: lots of birds, such as hummingbirds, flickers, finches, kinglets, etc., a bear once or twice, skunks, raccoons, and neighbours’ cats. We once had a pair of eagles swooping around, and a kestrel went whipping by one day.
I wonder whether they have ever seen the famous Gary Larson “The Far Side” cartoon in which there are two signs: “Welcome to heaven; here’s your harp” and “Welcome to hell; here’s your accordion”. (Actually, I have heard some amazing accordion players, but I guess Gary Larson had heard a few not-so-good ones.)
There was a long thread on this in Professional harpists: http://www.harpcolumn.com/forum/message-view?message%5fid=165254
In the late ’70’s, I was touring with the National Ballet of Canada and we were playing Sleeping Beauty, with Rudolf Nureyev in the role of the prince, at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. As I was tuning, I looked out at the crowd and saw Telly Savalas coming down the aisle. He smiled and said, “Yes. It’s me.” One of the musicians in the orchestra was named after Cary Grant, so we told this to Mr. Grant, another member of the audience. His response was, “Your name is Archibald (Cary Grant’s real name)?” I also had a lovely chat with Peter Falk, who leaned over the orchestra pit and talked to me for a while as I was tuning, and had a good gawk at (va-voom!) Paul Newman. I have never seen so many stars in one evening.
Practise very slowly, one hand at a time, relaxing your entire hand between every note. This is whether you are replacing or coming off the string completely. Make sure you are not pulling your thumb out of its normal alignment when you play it. In other words, your fingers and thumb should follow the most natural movement possible. If you are seeing lines on the back of your hands, then you are fighting the connective tissue that spans the palm. Think of the joints as hinges that only go one way. So, if you pull your fingers down and your thumb towards your second finger joint, your hand should feel comfortable. Also, breathe deeply whenever you feel that tightness come on. Hope this helps!
If you had your Kim Robertson books with you, did you play “Oopla”? That one always reminds me of a belly dancer. I would have been tempted to pretend I had misheard them and show up with all kinds of ballet music. “Oh! I thought you said BALLET dancer!!” There was a great skit on SNL many years ago in which Steve Martin, dressed in tights, parks cars while he spins, leaps and poses. Valet parking=ballet parking; wonderful visual pun.
