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Alison, once you use a smart phone or iPad you will wonder how you survived without it. I hold my thumb and middle finger together with the index finger on top like a finger triangle. By doing so, you have no thumb movement and very little wrist movement. It is so automatic that I had to swipe my iPad to write about it.
Alison, I have a friend who had surgery on her thumb. It was from years of overuse made worse by swiping her iPad. The hand therapist said to never use your thumb for any swiping. You can buy a little soft plastic iPad swiper. You hold it with your fingers so you do not use your thumb joint. It also limits your wrist movement. BTW, women are more prone to a thump joint injury or deterioration than men.
I found Carl’s remark witty. So did my Catholic friends with whom I shared this discussion. You did not, obviously. The people contributing to this thread have are long-time members of Harp Column and by now know what to write for this particular group. Let’s get the discussion re-focused on the music and not political sensitivities. Otherwise nothing can be said in this forum.
Jennifer, I find your comment puzzling. How can a discussion about a classic harp piece by one of the foremost female French harpists be offensive? Are you familiar with this piece?
I did a quick google search and it appears you may find it via the Australian Music Centre. A CD was made in 2008. I would contact Alice Giles, a member of the Seven Harp Ensemble that recorded the music.
Thank you for the additional informative comments. I typed “angelus bells” instead of “angelus” on google. A lot of interesting information appeared.
Oh, Balfour, we’ll let the bench height go. Ha, ha, your arthritic body probably just needs lots of padding on a bench. Whatever works. Speaking of harp brands there is also Horngacher, Venus and Aoyama.
Well, the conversation is getting far away from comparing harps and perhaps a new thread is needed. But, Balfour I disagree that harpists sit too low. I am referring to pedal harpists. To avoid back and shoulder problems, one should sit with the hips slightly higher than the knees, preferably on a sloped bench. This is also important for pedaling. That is ergonomics. If anything, harpists sit too low. I am a Salzedo player but regardless of what style or method you play, the balance of the harp is the same. I think over time, harpists end up blending a lot of methods. I suggest to anyone interested to watch YouTube clips of harpists who have had successful careers over the years without injury. Watch how they sit, hold the harp, use their arms, hands and feet. Alice Giles is the master, to me anyhow, of good technique. She combines Salzedo with the Alexander technique.
Mandy, I greatly appreciate your helping me get in touch with Kim Webby. l am sorry to say I have three great concert grand harps so I am not in the market for a harp. I was writing out of interest and in case someone else is looking for a high-end harp. I only recently learned about Webby harps from another post of Emma Graham.
What is the cost of a Webby harp and the time to get one made? I checked YouTube to hear it but just not the same as in person.
I have a Salvi Iris natural and Salvi Apollo. My first pedal harp years ago was an Aurora. Salvi has changed it’s soundboard design with the “new concept” soundboard. My six year old Apollo was one of the first harps to have it. My Iris is now five years old. It has an amazing sound that really penetrates and carries. I prefer the deep Salvi sound over the bright LH although recently the Salvi’s seem brighter.
In addition, I believe Salvi harps, particularly the newer one, are built much stronger. The finish is a polyurethane which just needs to be wiped to be clean. It is far more durable than LH lacquer. The finish on my 35 year old Aurora looked like new when I sold it.
My Apollo had no break-in period. It sounds fairly much now like it did when I bought it but the overall sound is bigger. The Iris took several years to develop its voice and volume. The Apollo works better with a mic and sound system in a church whereas the Iris is my acoustic and orchestra harp. The Iris is a little easier to move.
I learned to play on a LH 23 and it was the only harp I used during college for three years. Personally, when I first tried a Salvi l thought it was far better overall than Lyon Healy. When I bought two new harps six and five years ago, I looked again at LH and came to the same conclusion. However, I did try a gold LH 11 to die for but it was too impractical and expensive for the church playing and recording I use my harps for. Overall, I think Salvi is more consistent with their harp building and sound plus they hold up better. But, thank goodness for choices and having a discussion like this. Not part of the initial question of harp choices, but I would like to try a Kim Webby harp and the new Resonance harps.
Very musically played. I can see Davey is growing a lot. That may have a lot to do with technique right now. He would do well with a sport or yoga to help him coordinate his bones and muscles during this growth spurt. I would ask the teacher about raising his harp higher from the ground.
Last free advice: Do not turn down the part. You might not be asked to play again. Doesn’t matter in this situation if you are an amateur or pro. You are the harpist selected for the part. Try to figure out what you can play – even if it is just a down beat or select passages. Listen to the video clip with a headset on and figure out as best you can where harp is important. Then set a meeting with the conductor to air your concerns and what you’ve figured out as a solution. I am sure this will work out. Please let everyone know what becomes of this. Hopefully, others will chime in about this dilemma.
I am all for encouraging new music and especially if the composer uses harp. I don’t think you can speak in general terms, though. Every piece is different; every composer has his/her style. But that said, because I am a freelance harpist, l check out the score and think about what effort I need to put forth before I say “yes.”
