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Congratulations Leslie! I’m sure you will love it!
I am the happy recipient of my dream harp this year as well, so I know exactly how you feel. It was WELL worth the wait!Best,
Karen
The list is way too long for me to attempt. I have all these little sticky tabs pasted on pages of books- green is for learned, yellow is for learning, and red is for wishing!
One song that I would LOVE to play but is just out of my reach is Moonlight Sonata- I just can’t seem to wrap my mind (and fingers!) around all those lever flips. So I have set it aside for now, but I know it won’t be long until I pick it up again and think “maybe now?”
I have to say this, though. Pieces that two years ago I would never have attempted now flow easily from my fingers. When I get discouraged at my attempts to learn difficult music I pull out those pieces I have mastered and tell myself “If you can do these, you will also be able to do those”.
Karen
Dwell would be the same as sustain, as I understand it- how long the sound of the note plucked is heard. Resonance covers a broader area, which includes yourself and other areas the sound affects. For instance, when I pluck a certain string on one of my harp, strings on my other harps resonate sympathetically. Also, I can feel the harp resonate within myself when I play. I’m sure a harp therapist could explain this better than I can, such as how higher notes resonate differently than lower notes in regards to the body, etc.
Karen
It means you need to trim your fingernails, else they become as sharp as knives and sever your strings during a glissando! LOL
Karen
I’ll take a stab at this one. I think (and I’m not Jennifer, so I’m guessing here) that you are on the quest for “the perfect harp” from all your various recent postings about different harps, and your angst over having to choose one. I think you may be a “multi-harp” person (like me,I have three). This is not a bad thing in and of itself, but it may cause you a lot of stress bouncing from one harp to another, and you are bound to have buyer’s regret- it is already apparent you have renter’s regret. Every harp has it’s own unique voice, and some harps sound better playing certain styles of music than others. I really don’t believe for a second that there is a “perfect harp”, and more than you or I are perfect. Each harp, no matter how great it sounds, will have a flaw somewhere. Maybe what you should do is let yourself get used to one harp for awhile instead of bouncing from one to another. The Egan might still be your best choice- just give it a chance.
Karen
Deb,
I think your harp is settling in to the new tuning and environment. Is there a reason you have to have it tuned in the key of C when the levers are unengaged? Do you normally play music that requires all those sharps, especially E#, A#, & B#? A lot of harpists tune their harps to Eb because it gives them the most practical range of keys. To my knowledge, most music that is written for lever harp does not utilize those three sharps listed above, so you may want to reconsider your tuning.
Also, some models/brands of harps are just string-breakers, especially if they have gut strings in the upper range. If you love the tone this is just something you will have to get used to. For myself, the frustration of having strings break every time the weather changed or it was moved would be way too frustrating, especially when you would have to tune the replacement string 30-50 times to get it to hold. I feel pretty darn lucky that the harps I own don’t have this problem.
Well, however you decide, best of luck! And if you decide to take it back, now you have another very important question to ask
Karen
Another great thing about the Dreamweaver is you can trade it in for money off a larger harp later, like a Dragonheart. I absolutely love mine!
I would also suggest looking into Musicmaker’s Voyageur harp. It has a very beautiful look and voice as well.
Karen
Yes, as soon as I can get out from under the yoke of work- I work two jobs right now, and am on my 10th straight day in a row. Loving my new baby though, the intonation in the mid-range is just spectacular. I find myself going back and forth, playing the same song on my Voyageur and then switching to the Dragonheart, just to hear the differences in tone. They both have a very unique and beautiful sound. I am so lucky….
Karen
I use Howard’s Natural’s Wood Preserver in Patchouli/Vanilla scent for deep polishing. For regular cleaning I break out the ‘ol Murphy’s Oil Soap.
Karen
I love “Summer Rain” by Frank Voltz, and the book “Midsummer Meadow” by Pamela Bruner, especially “Forest Stroll”, “Dragonfly Waltz”, “Pacific Waves”, and “Gathering Dusk”. Also, Deborah Henson-Conant’s “Nightingale”.
Karen
Umm, no, that is not the chord notations I directed- replace the Em with Bm (at least in part A), and 3 beats per each measure, totaling 8 chord changes. Part B is different as well.
Yup, I have a couple of videos up. One is an older one of me playing “Gentle Maiden” on my wire-strung Limerick (about two months after I built it, and the other one is of me playing my Voyageur to the Christmas song “Some Children See Him”. My digital camera is not the greatest for recording, so I am hesitant at making any more until I get something better,but you can look me up under the tags for the song if you like.
One of the best things about recording yourself is you can see the progress you have made. Even if you only tape-record yourself I highly recommend it.
New favorite song I’m currently working on: Summer Rain by Frank Voltz. Very “harpy”, relaxing, and beautiful chord modulations. Love the dramatic glissando in this one, and the waterfall arpeggios…very dreamy…
Karen
There are many different versions of Inis Oirr on youtube (boggles the mind). The version I play is much slower than Fairy Harper’s, and in essence more poignant and dramatic. I don’t like this melody as well when played straight, with no inflection or emotion.
The chords I posted fit the key of G. The melody link I posted is free to all through The Session website, so I’m pretty sure I’m not violating any copyright laws there.
I’m simply not talented enough to pick out chords by ear, but I can figure them out if given time. Hats off to those who can .
It’s nice you posted an additional chord progression in the key of C. Those harpers without levers should find this useful. It is truly a beautiful melody, and when my Dragonheart has settled in this may be the first song I record on it. Showing how I play this song would probably be more helpful than describing it.
Karen
