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Oh WOW….You have my sympathies….I’m glad harp is more of a hobby than a profession for me, that kind of pressure is way more than I could handle. Do they think you are a guitarist that can just somehow accompany by playing chords? Your frustration is more than well-founded. If any good can be had of this on your end, view it as a valuable lesson learned. Wishing you a quick end to your musical misery….
Karen
I’d say most music for a 22-string lap harp would fit the bill. As far as accidentals go, if you are new to the harp you probably won’t need to worry about applying these for a while yet. Basically,the lever raises the note a half step, so if the note is an F natural flipping the lever up will give you an F sharp. Do you have a basic background in music theory? Have you lined up a teacher or are you planning on using a self-teaching book? This is where I would begin. Congratulations and welcome to the harping world!
Karen
Whew! And three hours later and I’m all done with that mini-concert! Went well, got lots of compliments & tips. It’s so much fun spreading holiday cheer by sharing the beauty of the harp with others. What a wonderful evening
Now, onto some playtime music- I’m thinking to tackle ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ next, and polish up ‘Arabian Dance/We Three Kings’ medley, both from Sylvia Woods.
Cheers,
Karen
Wow, and I thought I had the pressure on! LOL I’m doing the easy versions of the Sylvia Woods carols, for the most part, adding some rolled chords and glisses here and there to customize. I love the Coventry Carol too. How many hours a day do you practice? I can only squeeze in an hour before & an hour after work tops. 300 lines of new music? All I can say is “uff-dah”!!
Two things that should never be discussed in mixed company: politics & religion. That is really all I have to add.
Karen
What is overwhelming you? The music you are trying to play? Or maybe the feeling that you should be “better” than you are, like you need to live up to the instrument? Broken strings would certainly frustrate me, is that part of the problem as well? How about the harp itself? Is it comfortable to sit at and play, or do you find yourself getting stiff and sore quickly?
I think you really need to try and pinpoint why you are feeling this way. Then think about why you wanted to play harp in the first place. Create a mantra for yourself- mine is “I create magic around me with my simple, beautiful music”. The key word here is simple. It doesn’t have to be complicated to sound good, unless your harp is horrible sounding- and broken strings and lack of tuning would be the culprit there, if that’s the case.
Also, how long have you been practicing, and how long has that been steady practicing? Did you practice at least three times or more per week, or did you practice heavily
The Heartland harps do have big sound, Kreig. I have a Dragonheart that really puts it out. Plus, it only weighs in at 25 lbs. With 38 strings, it’s everything I dreamed of in a performance harp.
Karen
Oh good heavens no you are not too old! 23? I wish I were that age when I started (well, actually, I built my first harp kit at 19, but didn’t learn to play until I was 35, long story). For a symphony orchestra it still may be doable. Just make sure you get a teacher that will work with you towards that goal. It has been said that it takes 10 years, 8 hours a day to master an instrument. Are you willing to commit that kind of time? Even 1/2 that amount per day should get you to intermediate level or better in that amount of time. I myself play lower intermediate music and I have realistically only had about 3-4 years of
What about portability? Didn’t you mention before that you wanted a lever harp because of the lowered weight factor?
I have a nice portable Yamaha keyboard with a stand. Not that expensive either. This might be a good option for you.
I understand your frustration, Deb. Lever-flipping can be very challenging. Lots of patience and especially perserverance is needed, but trust me, you will get the hang of it. BTW, how is ‘Moonlight Sonata’ coming along? Isn’t that the song arranged by Barbara Brundage you were working on?
Karen
All good information Michael. This is why I advised Pat to insist on transparency, and also have the bank verify the validity of the cashier’s check. It’s too bad this couldn’t be played out just enough to catch one of these scammers, eh? If that were possible, it would be for the good of all. Thanks for the heads-up.
Karen
I have a Crate Taxi (little brother to the Limo) and one thing I have found is that you need to turn down the High and Mid-High settings. Keep them at around 2 or 3, tops. This has been true for me with hooking into house systems as well. Otherwise the upper strings tend to have a harshly bright overtone that comes through. I don’t know if this is true for the Limo though. I may upgrade to one of these in the future.
Karen
Please note the fact that it is a CERTIFIED CASHIER’S CHECK. Having just went through a home purchase, I know from experience you cannot get one of these without the funds being in the bank in the first place. Also, it instructs you to CASH it first,THEN send the funds to ship. If the check is a scam, you wouldn’t be able to cash it, period. All you would have to do is take it to the bank it is drawn from to find out if it’s a forgery or not. Basically, a cashier’s check is the same as a money order- you have to buy it with cash.
Do you have full contact information regarding the seller? Perhaps having a chat with him/her would help. Insist on transparency for the sake of establishing a “business-based trust” as stated in the above letter.
