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Thanks, Sherj. I went to the link, and I’m sure it’s the same harp – plus the matching red bench! Emmanuel’s playing is exquisite. What a performance! The red harp looks fabulous on such a big stage.
Mae, I am one of those natural sight readers. I helped another harpist who had difficulty learning new music, and in doing so, realized (to me, anyhow) the key to sight reading or learning a new piece is pattern recognition. I read the above link to the blog by Meg Robinson and found her advice very appropriate.
I would suggest to you that you take random pieces of music you play and practice finding patterns. Make a copy of the music. Use a colored marker or a symbol. When you find a repeat pattern, mark it the same way as the previous one. When you are finished, analysis what you see. You will find that you probably only need to work on a few different sections of the piece. As you learn to recognize, say a 1-3-5 chord, you will know it, and not have to struggle. Try to think in groups of notes.
You may want to make yourself some flashcards of patterns that you see oftentimes in your music. As you work on this (just for as little as five minutes here and there), it will become more automatic. Even if you recognize just a few key patterns, learning written music will come more easily.
I am horrible at playing by ear, and I am envious of those to whom this comes so easily.
Basel, go to youtube and look at current videos of men harpists (and even classical guitarists) to see what they wear while performing. Most male musicians I know are not wearing tuxedos except to play with an orchestra. Many wear all black and have a nice tie to add color.
I hope the men harpists of HC will give some guidance about current harp fashion.
I have the same situation. My harps are on a tile floor. I bought small non-skid carpet-material rugs (30X17″) at Walmart that are just under the base and in front of the pedals. It does help keep debris out of the harp. I am amazed how much sand and hair collects in such small rugs!
My guitar partner is a professional instructor. He likes to use his smart-phone as part of lessons. Sometimes he has his student do a short video of him or he may do a clip at home to send to a student. Mostly, he is illustrating a technique or short passage. It is done in a way to help that particular student but would be of no value otherwise.
I was stuck on a harp/guitar passage so I filmed him as he played the passage very slowly, then faster, then up to tempo. That way I could practice on my own without wasting our rehearsal time. I think selective filming for reinforcement is the key, not filming a whole lesson.
Emma, you have my deepest sympathy. I broke a small bone in my hand a couple years ago due to a fall, and the recovery was very long. If you do physio as part of your treatment (highly recommended), be sure to do shoulder therapy, too. Let the physio know you are a harpist and the type of movements you do. I only did hand therapy and ended up with a persistent shoulder problem when I got back into playing due to not using those muscles for many weeks.
Thanks Sylvia. It seems all the harpists now play A Thousand Years. I just added it to my repetoire even though I’m not wild about the song. If anyone is interested, Michelle Stone has two nice arrangements available on http://www.harpcolumnmusic.com along with a video of her playing the advanced version.
I’m shocked by the pleasant exchange between you two! We are less than 24 hours into the new year, and this may well be the memorable moment of 2015:)
Eileen, you make a good point that one needs to know what is involved with taking care of a musical instrument. However, I must confess that I am glad I was blissfully clueless about all that when I started or I would never have pursued playing the harp:)
I think Chris has stepped in at the appropriate time and is taking ownership of his daughter’s harp needs. He did not state her age but clearly she is too young to make the harp maintenance decisions. I think it’s great that the teacher offers strings to students. This is part of the learning process and is a convenience for the parents. Obviously, as evidence from Chris’s post asking about what strings to keep and his daughter must earn the money to pay for them, the family is now taking steps to become more harp savvy. Chris is wise enough to seek advice here from others who have been there-done that.
Sylvia, Maybe one of the HC harp tech geeks will look into the history of wire strings. I well remember in college that none of the harps in the time I was there got new wires, or even gut strings unless one broke. The harp tech said that just tuning the wire strings over time causes too much tension due to the continual tightening. So I don’t know that it matters how they are or were made but it would be interesting to find out.
I replaced my wires a couple weeks after being on for only two and a half years. It made a huge difference in the overall sound of my harp. Far more resonance and broader sound.
Patrice Fisher http://www.patricefisher.com collects used strings or anything harp-related to take to Central America for a student ensemble.
I have a full new set except wires (which seldom break). If I have to replace a string, I use the new string and then buy another replacement. I use that set as the new strings when the time comes to restring my harp.
I also use my old strings that were replaced as spares. Put the used string in the bag of the new one. That way I have an already stretched string that is tied for an emergency. Be sure to test the string before you declare it a spare to make sure it goes through the hole again. Sometimes the lower gut strings won’t go through after you have removed them. I use these strings if one breaks during a performance or if a string breaks a day or so prior to playing. I then replace the used string with a new one.
So pretty much, I have 2 sets of spares. But definitely keep a spare set of strings for the upper two octaves which break the most. Don’t forget these strings are so long that you can usually get 3 strings out of one string length.
I just had my harp regulated and the tech told me it is important to use the correct strings. He also said it is important to change the bass wires periodically because over time the bass wires cause too much tension on the harp.
Janis, you are very thoughtful and generous to share your arrangement of “In the Bleak Midwinter.” I played it, and thought you did an excellent job. The C# adds interest and is worth flipping a lever (or making a pedal change). Thank you for sharing your music.
Janis, thanks for sharing your video. You may want to watch the youtube clips produced by HC member Hannah Deladurantey. She has some excellent tutorials and also gives harp lessons via Skype.
My one suggestion to you is to keep your second and third fingers on your right hand from collapsing. You will get a more even sound if you can keep your fingers curved. You are really making good progress. Keep it up.
PS/ I like the sweater.
