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I checked out Darkroom in forScore. I would only use that when a scanner is not available. Otherwise, you end up with your music in photos. It will make your music files a disorganized mess over time. I did not check this feature for the quality but it will only be as good as you can hold the iPad still to take a photo. I am not sure how you link the photos together to make a continuous score. Has anyone used Darkroom and have advice?
Thx for the Darkroom tip. I will try it on my new iPad to see if the music is clear. I have not been able to get a clear photo of music in any format, but it’s certainly worth a try. This would sure be helpful in a situation where a scanner is not available.
Sallie, your question about getting music onto the iPad is very valid. This is fairly new so you cannot be expected to know. There are several music reading apps but the most popular one seems to be forScore which is only usable on an iPad. You need to install the app first on your iPad. You buy the app from iTunes. You will sync it with your computer. I use a MacBook Air so I don’t know how this works with a Windows PC. You can check the forScore website. I was fortunate that one of the HC members had figured all this out and she helped me get started.
Once installed, you basically scan your sheet music and put it into downloads. Be sure to change the name of the piece each time you scan – just as you would a document. You then connect your iPad to the computer and sync it. There are tutorials on youtube (some may be dated but still usable). It would take too long to give the details here. Once you get the hang of it, the process is very straightforward.
I bought an AirTurn BT106 foot pedal to change pages on my iPad pro. I use my left foot for the page turning. You could use your right foot, too. The new pedal is much improved over the earlier BT105. You pair the foot pedal to the iPad. You should only use it for one device and turn it off by turning off the bluetooth on your iPad. You can also tap your iPad with your finger to turn the page in either direction, but I find the foot pedal much easier. Yes, it takes some practice and you have to be aware of pedal changes interfering with the page turn. I have had to cut and paste music before scanning to deal with that. But, the foot pedal becomes automatic after a while and I barely think about it anymore. AirTurn provides excellent customer service if you have any questions or screw up the pairing like I did.
Additionally, since you have the iPad pro, I would recommend you buy the Apple pencil. It is very useful for marking your scores. You will need to sync it with your iPad each time you turn the iPad on. But, you only need 10 seconds to stick the pencil into the connecting slot where you charge the iPad.
I have used my iPad for 3 years. I have used the iPad, iPad Air and iPad pro. I will never go back to sheet music. I only use sheet music for occasional orchestra playing. You can attach your Mighty Bright or Lotus Light to the iPad or music stand. I have a special stand that just holds the iPad. It is made by Standzout. I now use the iPad pro with an AirTurn foot pedal. I also have a free-standing led light for gigs and have led lights on my harp.
The iPad pro does have more glare than my iPad Air. Maybe some of that is the cover – I have the Survivor cover on the iPad air and have no glare issue. I have protective glass and a back cover on my iPad pro.
Additional comment – if anyone is interested in getting an iPad pro be careful to select the bezel color – it comes in white and black. I opted for black.
I had asked about the Musitek products on another thread. I would like software just for transposing scores, primarily for harp/viola/clarinet and harp/voice. Have you found it to be accurate and user friendly?
Carl, I emailed you my download. I cannot figure out to get a link onto HC. If you go to google and type “mes excercices pour la harpe godefroid”, a link to archives.org and fr.slideshare.net come up. You can then export as a pdf to download. The book is 57 pages total. The exercises are great and a good add-on to your Boscha etudes.
Harpist Celia Chan wrote a dissertation about Godefroid that is very useful and interesting. It gives insights into the transition from the harp as a right hand melody instrument with left hand accompaniment to what is played now. I find it fascinating how the early harpists figured out such complicated finger patterns and pushed the limits of the harp. It is available at http://www.ProQuest.com. Cost is $38.00US for a download. Search under the Dissertation and Thesis link for “Felix Godefroid: Virtuoso Harpist and Composer.” If this does not work for you, contact me offline and I will send you the link from Celia’s email to me.
Since this thread digressed to harp methods, I would encourage harpists to go online and find a copy of Mes Exercises pour la harpe by Felix Godefroid. Maybe Carl could summarize the introduction because he speaks/reads French. But my reason for this suggestion is the engraving of Godefroid’s hand position and his four observations below (the one I could understand said “don’t rock the harp”). Hasselmans studied with both Krueger and Godefroid. Godefroid dropped the single action pedal harp in favor of the newly invented double action pedal harp and pioneered much of the modern harp technique. You can see that in his exercises and music.
I think if I built my own harp I would play it. I would go for 36 strings. Folk music, some rock music and Celtic music work best on a lever harp. Ultimately, you will have to answer your own question. Ask yourself if you want another mouth to feed – your lever harp will need the same care as a pedal harp. There just won’t be as many strings to change. When I could not afford a pedal harp, I was very happy to have my LH Troubadour. I sold it to use towards my pedal harp and have not played a lever harp since then. But, at the time prior to getting my pedal harp, I played in a Renaissance Ensemble so only a lever harp would work. Now, I am too lazy to deal with lever changes. Pedals are so much easier to me.
Pop Standards for Lever Harp, arr. Jan Jennings.
Billy Joel for Harp arr. Emily Brecker (each song has 2 arrangements. One is intermedate/advanced for pedal harp/large lever harp tuned to Eb. The other is easier and intended for small lever harps tuned in C).
John Denver Love Songs, arr. Sylvia Woods.
You may want to check Angi Bemiss arrangements. Hers run the range of classic to theater to pop and would be suitable for your playing level.
Sylvia Woods has some excellent arrangements. Her Beatles book (fairly advanced), Groovy Songs of the 60’s and 22 Romantic Songs are nicely arranged. As for some of her current arrangements, well, you have to start off with good music to have a good arrangement…So much of the music in the past few years doesn’t have a clear melody line and does not translate well to harp.
Update: The singer and I just agreed to use an arrangement in G so there is not a need to transpose the music. I will revisit this in a few months when I have time.
Carl Swanson and Howard Bryan are two highly regarded harp restorers: http://www.swansonharp.com, http://www.oldharpsmadeyoung.com. Thank you from the harp world for caring about your Erard harp. I hope it is in good enough condition to be restored.
Alison, you are so nice to ask about my finger. Thankfully, I no longer have to worry about a day job so I was able to sit around for six weeks and hold my finger in the air and not use it at all. Even now, I don’t type with my left index finger. I slowly, slowly got back into playing and thankfully, ten weeks after the accident, my finger was OK. The feeling is not the same as my other fingers but I can accept that. My guitar partner and I had scheduled studio time in the summer for the album we are recording. I had to change the date until the end of September, and we were able to record then.
