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When I lived in New York, the Cloisters in northern Manhattan put on a (much more modest) Renaissance fair, distinguished by the totally wonderful venue (herb gardens, Unicorn Tapestries and so on). Great place to play harp and I love the Deborah Friou.
This is a pretty good list, and I particularly like the encouragement of harp and classical guitar. I’d like to add that every youth hostel should be provided with a guitar or other musical instrument to be made available to hostelers. And back-porch banjo should be encouraged.
“Does not want to be in 5”? That’s an interesting way of putting it!
Your advice later on about putting it on the table and tapping it out is good. I’d add that listening to a lot of Greek music in 5/8, 7/8 and 9/8 helps too.
Well, I wouldn’t call it WORKING on, but just yesterday I tried out some Fats Domino on the harp; specifically, “Walkin’ to New Orleans.”
The banjo is inherently bright, brassy, cheeky, in-your-face and all of that; but it can also be dark and brooding, even menacing. Listen to some of Dock Boggs’ songs, such as “Oh Death” or “Pretty Polly.”
By and large, I am more likely to share pieces between harp and guitar than between harp and banjo. For example, it would not be odd to play the Bach Chaconne on harp and on guitar. The banjo is possessed of greater ‘tude (disrespectful). That’s one of the enjoyable things about playing three different instruments, all of them plucked strings but all different.
I have more than one theme song, and they aren’t necessarily “harp songs”–though of course I play them or try to play them on the harp. In general they are NOT lighthearted.
You might recapture part of the cost in harp strings. Those old Troubadour levers really chew up strings.
