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Syliva,
Thanks for the tip to use a leather piece. I found an old key chain with leather and it worked just fine. The leather is now in my harp bag.
Umm, I played a Christmas cantata last Dec, and a harpist walked up to me and asked why I didn’t use a pick for all the glissandos (I forgot to buy one soon enough and was too cheap to pay overnight shipping). No other comment about the performance,
BTW, David, what is going on with your shoulder?
Thank you, Barbara. I did send an email to the conductor asking if he has his pavane’s correct. I appreciate your putting the link to Ravel in your reply.
Katie,
You may want to ask a sailmaker if they can sew a harp cover for you. You could buy a moving blanket (quilted fabric used by furniture movers) as an underlayment and have the outlayer made of sail cloth.
If the duty and shipping do not add a lot to the cost of a Four Seasons cover, that may be the best way to go.
I just remembered that harpist Josh Layne did a segment for his Harp Tuesday about how to play Song in the Night. You can do a key word search on google or go to youtube. Good luck.
You play this close to the sound board but with a nail-picking sound. I hate to be a Debbie-Downer, but you will have a very difficult time with this piece unless you can find someone who has already learned it and is willing to teach you. Otherwise, you may want to watch some youtube clips. This piece involves a lot of Salzedo technique that is learned by instruction, not self-taught.
Jan Jennings has a great arrangement of Edelweiss on her CD “The Magic of Broadway.” Unfortunately, the only song on the CD that is published is her arrangement of Lullaby of Broadway. You may want to contact Jan about Edelweiss. I would love to have more of her arrangments made available to harpists.
Sid, I was so captivated by Secret Garden that I barely noticed your mistake. I bought the music to play with a college student violinist for a church service. Your mistake was my inspiration.
Sherry,
I have dealt with a lazy eye and my son had near focusing problems as a child. Both of us did vision training with a developmental optometrist. My lazy eye is better but not corrected. My son has no vision issues and the vision training helped keep him from being nearsighted. He is 24 and does not need corrective lenses. Vision training is often used to treat strabismus.
My suggestion to you is to check out http://www.strabismus.org. I would find out if you have a development optometrist in your area and get a second opinion. I would get a second or third opinion regardless before any surgery on my eyes. You may want to ask if your doctor will let you talk to patients who have had this surgery.
Are you able to get task glasses that you would use only for harp playing?
Li Shan,
If you are going to get the soundboard painted, I would go with a natural finish. If you wanted a more contemporary look, I would consider an ebony finish and no soundboard decoration. I think the mahagony finish makes the harp look lost on a stage. Ebony and natural are much more striking to me.
I had a Salvi Aurora with an ebony finish.. It looked almost new when I sold it 35 years later. It had a couple of scratches which I easily concealed with a marker.
I would check with Lyon Healy to see what color your harp will turn. The older LH natural finish harps did turn a goldish color which I don’t particularly like. I rented a 1980’s Salzedo before buying my new harp and I thought the color it turned was not very attractive. But the new harp may be different as it ages because of the wood and the modern finishes.
In the end, you must make the decision as to what you like. You can’t make a wrong decision with such a beautiful concert harp. Please post a photo when you get your new harp.
I suggest calling the maker of your harp and get advice. I presume you have either a Salvi, LH or Venus. The harp manufacturers ship worldwide and could walk you through the process. Be sure to ask about insurance both for transit and when the harp is in Panama. Also ask about taking extra parts with you like discs, strings, etc.
I know there is a person on the harp guild website who regulates harps in Panama. I would ask about getting the harp regulated after the trip or at least get on the schedule for the next regulation visit.
