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I had that exact problem and found it was caused by my bench being too low. Also, try to stretch after you play. A good stretch is to stand in a door way, rest your hands around shoulder height on the frame in a relaxed manner, and lean forward. Hold any stretch for at least 20 seconds.
Jodi,
I had seven years of piano lessons. When I started playing harp in college, I found piano playing irritated my hands so I stopped playing piano. I took piano up again just to play for relaxation when I worked and didn’t have time to practice my harp. But now that I am seriously pursuing harp playing, I am not playing the piano because it bothers my hands for harp playing.
The website doesn’t seem to be working. Go to google and type La Scuola harp
and a link will come up with the photo and specs.You can see a photo of the harp and read the specs on the website http://www.swansonharp.com. There is a used one for sale.
I suggest to beginning harpists to rent for a while and look for the right harp over time. At age 12 and just starting on a pedal harp, your daughter could change her mind many times about what she likes. I am 5’7″ with very big, long fingers, and a concert grand would be best IMHO. I have never had a problem with upper registers on any harp I’ve played – even lever harps. Buying a harp is a big investment so don’t rush into it.
The new Salvi grand harps are a night and day difference in tension and feel. I have an Apollo with the new concept soundboard that is a dream to play. I think the LH, Camac and Salvi’s have a similar feel in the newer harps – they did to me when I was looking for a new harp a couple years ago.
Alison, you may want to check about using lighter tension strings on your harp. There are a number of HC threads on this. I would check with Salvi first make sure it wouldn’t cause a problem with your harp. That might be another thing Unknown User could try.
I hope your visit with the music doctor produces some answers for your hand tension problem. Here is another idea to consider: Perhaps you need to use a different harp with less tension. I had an old Salvi concert grand and realized my playing was adversely affected by the tightness of the strings. Another harp made a world of difference. You might also consider moving to a lever harp. There is a vast amount of repertoire and styles of playing that maybe you could find harp happiness with a small harp with light tension. Perhaps you could rent one short-term to find out.
In the Lyra music edition, the Pastorale comes just the Theme and is two pages. I just sight read it, and I don’t think it adds to the Theme and Variations at all. Or even makes sense musically. To be blunt, the Pastorale is not worth the trouble to learn IMHO.
My copy is Edition Schott 4913, 1956. On measure 1, Var. 1, play the two G’s with the LH. Same with 1st measure after the repeat. Then go 4-3-2-2-1 with RH.
I wondered why my music was so clean and discovered the version I used when I learned the piece was the Schott edition. If you want to email me off the list, I can give you all the fingerings, pedal markings and edits made by my harp instructor.
The version I have is Pastorale and Theme and Variations published by Lyra Music Co. http://www.lyramusic.com. Here is what the foreword says:
“This composition, attributed to George Frideric Handel, though not listed in catalogs of his works, was prepared from a reproduction of the work published in Vienna by Math. Artaria. The title page, curiously in French, reads “Pastorale et Theme aver Variations pour Harpe ou Pianoforte compose par G.F. Handel.” A recent German edition does not include the Patorale, which is one of the reasons it seemed appropriate to issue this edition.”
The music is very straightforward with none of the notes within chords you described.
Sylvia,
I let the student roll up in my transport cover. It is nylon or some such synthetic material and obviously very sturdy. It lays on the floor of my car so the floor of a building (which was spotless BTW) didn’t make a difference to me. I vacuumed the cover this before I put it away. I would never do that with the dust cover.
No, I did not talk about the role of harp in orchestra. It didn’t fit into the demonstration. I wanted to focus on the instrument itself. That was enough for them. I live in Vero Beach, Florida – east coast of the state.
Sarah, I would consider getting a decibel reader to make sure your baby isn’t exposed to noise that is too loud. Hearing loss runs in my husband’s family (we think due to allergies – my husband has lost 10% of hearing in one ear, 15% in the other) and I was very careful about that. Our son was tested twice when he was an infant/toddler and showed signs of hearing loss. Thankfully, the tests were done when he had a cold or allergies and the retest come back to normal. Talk to your pediatrician and do some research about how much noise you can safely expose your baby. Hearing loss cannot be reversed.
Eliza, that’s good news that your student is making progress on her playing. Thx for the update. I’m sure you are both happier and more relaxed about lessons.
Now, I wonder if Elisa T.’s student cut her fingernails yet:)
