Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Contact Lori Pappajpohn at winterharp@telus.net. She has a teeshirt with a great
picture on it of her group called Winter Harp. It consists of 3 harpists who wear
medieval gowns, have long, wavy hair and play folk harps. She can probably send you
a photo of it.Your best bet is to contact the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and ask the harpist of
the orchestra who she recommends in your area.As a symphony harpist with many students, I have seen a lot of hand
positions. The main thing is whether a straight or curved finger works well for
your student. Every hand is a different size and shape, and it will only cause
frustration if one tries to pound a square peg into a round hole. I learned the
Salzedo method, but I have made some adaptations to compensate for a
rather short 4th finger and long 3rd finger, You can imagine the buzzing this
would cause if my 4th finger were completely curved. So it only curves on one
joint! Also, in big stretches, I have to flatten my 3rd finger if I want to place that
4th finger. The height of the thumb can make it easier for the 4th finger, as
well. Try lowering it a bit and see if that helps. It does not have to be too high;
in fact, it should not be so high that it shows pulling across the palm. It should
just sit comfortably where it is placed naturally, with no stretching. I hope this
helps! As for glissandi, you play the next note with the thumb coming down. (I
hope I understood your question.) Also, watch their elbows! If they are
drooping too far, the best hand position in the world won’t work.
If you get to Toronto, Ontario, try Alys Howe. She specializes in Scottish music
and culture, and did intensive studies in Scotland.
I am from Toronto originally, so I studied with Judy Loman. She has many
fabulous students, many of whom are still in Toronto and around Ontario.
Check out Albertina Chan for classical harp, or Alys Howe for Celtic harp. I
used to teach both of them, and they are excellent harpists living in Toronto.
Or, try contacting your closest symphony orchestra and find out who their
harpist is.I am not the best authority on this, since I studied Salzedo technique, too, but I
work with harpists who use the French technique. It seems that the fingers are
straight, not curved, the gestures are down, not up, and there are some very
different fingerings used. There is a video available of Grandjany’s method,
which I have seen advertised in the American Harp Society journal. Check the
Internet for sites on Marcel Grandjany, Lily Laskine, Jacqueline Borot, and
Henriette Reni?. There is probably lots of info there.
Check with the American Harp Society directory. They have a lot of harpists
listed in New Jersey. The name that jumped out at me is Jane Weidensaul,
whose address is in Teaneck, New Jersey. She is a very famous and
excellent harp teacher. Though she may not take beginners, she could
recommend a good teacher in your area.When I am practising very hard for a concerto, my calluses get so big and
hard that they peel right off. I don’t know if the skin on your fingers is dry like
mine, but, if it is, and you notice that your callouses are getting really hard and
rock-like, maybe try filing them down a bit with an emery board, or putting
hand cream on them at night.
How long are your practice sessions? You should not be doing more than
one hour at a time. The last thing you want is to get tendinitis before your big
event. Take good breaks between sessions, and don’t use your hands during
your breaks. Who know? This might alleviate the callous problem, too.How much do you want for it? I could put the word out in Vancouver, B.C., but
I should get all the details. Where are you located?
Contact your local musicians’ association. They may have brochures from
local music competitions, which have not yet put harp in the roster. Get the
ball rolling!Keep in mind that the cadenza from The Nutcracker is not played as it looks
on the page. The 16th note figures are not played with the left and right hands
simultaneously, as it looks on the page, but instead you play them twice as
fast, with the right, then the left, alternating. This is how everyone does it,
though some play both the figure descending, while other play the right
descending and the left ascending. You have to adapt a way to get to the final
rising arpeggio near the end, while staying in the rhythm. This is often done
as a glissando, finishing with a sixth chord, with F flat and D flat set, then you
put the F and D back in natural in the next chord.
Alway play from the original music, so as not to confuse the dancers.One of my favourites is Faur?’s Berceuse. It is somewhat pedally, but worth
the effort. The “Hamburger” Sonata by C.P.E. Bach works very well, with a few
adaptations, for the harp even though it is written for a keyboard instrument.
There is a lovely Sonata for flute and harp by Krumpholz, with 3 movements.
A lot of songs and arias can be adapted. I have a great version of Faur?’s
Pavane, too, from a guitar and flute transcription.Make sure they have regular performances to work towards. I have two
students’ recitals every year, where the students have to play solos and
ensembles. As well, ask your students to form duets with their friends who
play other instruments. They should be encouraged to take on as much
performing as they can handle. There is nothing more motivating than fear of
messing up a performance.
If they still don’t practice, then maybe they shouldn’t be studying a musical
instrument at all!
The easiest way is to write in all the notes in your gliss in small notes. The
length of the gliss is indicated by the first note. If the gliss lasts two beats, then
the first note should be a half note, followed by your tiny scale and a wavy line
to the final note. A pedal pattern is not necessary. Often composers try to put
them in, and they do it wrong, and the harpist is left trying to figure out what to
play.
