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Well no wonder you looked so familiar to me when I ran into you at the Ren Fest! I graduated from Anchor Bay (many, many moons ago) when Randy Casteel
Here is a video clip of Silly Wizard performing “Land O’ The Leal”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aleyPzq_I8c
You will love the humor and the heartfelt music in this clip.
Farewell is the song in the Sylvia Woods Teach Yourself book. It is from the highlands of Scotland. I don’t know if there are any words to it. It is simple and beautiful. I played it very rubato and it still brings tears to my eyes when I play it. I’ll have to look and see if there are lyrics to it. The message it conveyed to my heart was to let go of my Dad, treasure the memory of him and have faith that he is in heaven watching over me. Another wonderful song that I just recently learned that reminds me of both my Mom & Dad is “Land O’ The Leal”.
For a short while, before they disbanded. But then I had my Yamaha 365 (which I still have). I play off and on now with the East China community band. My friend Nancy played with me as well. Were you there too?
Hi Audrey!
I just built one of these for a new student of mine. Went together like a charm! She’s bringing it up to pitch over the next two weeks, so I’ll update you on how I think it sounds. The foam board soundbox is made of a material called “Gatorboard” and it appears quite strong. I think the Smart Harp is an excellent choice for a beginner that can’t afford to spend a lot. It’s easy enough to put together, even for someone who has never built anything. Not the most gorgeous harp, but for the price it gives those with limited funds a chance to fulfill a dream. Hats off to Jerry Brown
I’ll be back with updates once I get a chance to really hear it, but from the preliminary tuning I was able to sense that ethereal tone throughout the mid-range that is the traditional “harp-sound”.
Karen
Sorry to reply so late on this- I’ve been working 50+ hours a week at my main job and have only recently been able to start replying to this forum. And yes, I am planning on using the harp to accompany my voice. I was a soloist throughout highschool with a 3 1/2 octave vocal range, 1st soprano. I have found over the years that disuse has shortened my range and tone, and I want to get it back. Basically I want to make my voice a worthy enough instrument to play along with my harp.
I have to admit it is a bit of a struggle, but I received a very good piece of advice from a fellow musician at a gig I performed at recently. He told me to look at the process differently: rather than attempting to accompany the harp with my voice, look at the voice as the lead instrument and accompany with the harp. It’s a different psychology that I have to get used to, as this is my first attempt to accompany my voice with an instrument. Interesting…
Oh, by the way, if anyone likes “The Prayer” by Celtic Woman, the music can be found in Sylvia Woods 22 Romantic Songs book.
I have to agree with Barbara on this one. If you are hired to play, you pretty much have to put up with aggravations like these. Especially if someone is smoking outside- that’s pretty much a generally accepted “smoking area”. You could nicely ask them to move downwind, but that’s about it. Or perhaps tell the offending smoker that you are allergic to smoke…
Another aggravation that many performers have to put up with is picture taking. I’ve had people literally come up to within a couple feet of my face and take a picture (flash on, of course) when I’m in the middle of a piece. Talk about disconcerting! But again, this is something you just have to put up with. Not as harmful as smoking, mind you, but still…
I may get brave and attempt to hand-sew one. I’ve heard velvet can be quite a bear to work with (from someone who sews). I’m quite adept at sewing buttons but that’s about it- looks like another skill that I may have to teach myself…and make time for…
If money was no object I would be calling Dave Woodworth at Heartland Harps and ordering my Dragonheart in ancient Kauri wood right now! But I’m content with my kit-built Voyageur from Musicmaker’s. It
Hi Samantha!
I started out on the Sylvia Woods book, without the DVD. Having no access to a teacher within a reasonable driving distance, I can sympathize with you. I have since purchased Pamela Bruner’s learning series and have compared the two. Here’s what I found:
1. Sylvia’s book progresses rather quickly, while Pamela takes a more methodical approach. And, Sylvia’s book is an all-in-one method book, while Pamela has three books in her series.
2. When I did get Sylvia’s DVD, I noticed she played through many of the pieces
