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I’m pleased to say Morleys have been in touch with me and there was an apparent misunderstanding about my harp, and they have now kindly agreed to do a full service and regulation under guarantee. I am happy to withdraw my original complaint and am grateful to Ben at Morley harps for following this up and offering to put things right.
I would add that Morleys do give good value and strive to accomodate the customer financially, and that was never an issue. I’m looking forward to my harp being regulated and being able to play in tune when using different keys.
I’ve just seen Ben’s reply. My screen name here is not my full name but my middle names. I have spoken to Ben in the past and did raise the tuning issue. I have to say I found him somewhat avoiding of the issue and he put it down to my inexperience and other things, but perhaps he felt he was being helpful. At no time did he offer to send a technician over to fix the problem. I mentioned the pinched notes and the discs needing regulation. He did not make it clear whether the Harp WAS regulated before dispatch or whether they were uncrated, given a cursory look then dispatched on to the customer.
I have been completely honest about this. I will attempt to contact Morleys again and see if I get a better response this time.
Very devoted to risk frost bite for a harp lesson. Yes, “little” old England is a small place compared with the vastness of Canada and the USA, and you’re right, I don’t need to risk frost bite either. It is more a question of dovetailing other demands, and distance, and availability of time. I’m not making excuses, but in any case the question I asked has been generously answered, so I’m content.
Hi Sam,
Thanks again for the extended tutorial. It all makes perfect sense, and yes, I see that having 2,3 and 4 in a line helps. Just a couple of hours is already reaping rewards and I’m beginning to get some flow already. Just like piano practice, one needs to get each motion so automatic that you get beyond “thinking” about it. Not at that stage but it’s coming.
Many thanks for your kindness and trouble.
Best Wishes,
Leonard
Sam and Kate C.: Thank you so much for taking the trouble to answer so fully. I’m really grateful. Perhaps I came over a little rude in my earlier posts, but that was out of frustration at never being able to work it out, and yes I agree – As a piano teacher in the past, I never quite understood why purely mechanical things had to be quite such “a mystery”. You have both expressed very well exactly what I was looking for – confirmation that crossing and tucking IS desirable for speed and fluency.
I intuitively felt that must be the technique as “lurching” from one position to the next was not working. I’m finding going down the scale very easy now because the thumb is naturally going in the direction of “down” anyway. So that’s getting faster. However going up is much more difficult because while the notes are ascending, the thumb is sort of moving in the counter direction when it plucks, back towards the hand, and tucking the fourth finger underneath sometimes makes both thumb and fourth finger “weak” through being affectively stretched and going in “opposite” directions. If I do it very slowly I get firm notes, but going faster often means the thumb doesn’t sound properly.
I also see the problem of the tendency to “slide” down towards the soundboard or slide up away from it. I’m trying to keep the optimium point where the sound is best. If you have any more tips about the ascending, tucking movement I’d be grateful, but for now thank you both for being so helpful. I was beginning to think this question was somehow a “closed and mysterious” thing that was not worthy of discussion! My thanks and best wishes to you both.
Thanks Alice for the Skype tip. I’m in the UK and haven’t found any Skype equipped teachers but I will look and thanks for that suggestion.
Apologies if I came over as impatient. Karen’s answer gave me the info I was seeking, whether it is best to “cross over and under” when ascending and descending. When descending the natural tendency of the thumb to move in the direction of the scale makes it easy to cross it over. While ascending it is more difficult, because tucking the next finger underneath while going up contrasts with the movement of the thumb which is drawn to the palm so this bit is more difficult, but I’m getting there.
Carl: Apologies. I kind of repeated the question so there was no doubt what I was asking for. I did have a couple of lessons and obviously I have looked at some videos and illustrations of hand position and the two fundamental techniques, so I assure you I am not completely ignorant but I understand your frustration with me! The question of whether to anchor the fingers when doing rapid passages, and to cross or tuck fingers seems to be a subject of argument even among experienced harpists. I referred to my piano technique because often a question is assumed to mean someone is a complete beginner in music per se, and I wanted to communicate that I wasn’t. It was not intended to be arrogant and I apologise if that came over.
These mechanical questions seem to be rarely answered in discussions about the harp, not just here but everywhere I have researched. I just wanted an answer about crossing over. Thanks for your efforts to answer.
…I ought to add that I am an experienced and advanced pianist. In piano playing nothing is quite so vague. There are of course individual variations, but when ascending a scale, the thumb is tucked under the third or fourth finger to facilitate smooth flow in a scale. Of course the harp is different, but I cannot believe there is such wild variation in BASIC scale fingering, as not to be able to answer such a basic question.
Hi carl. I’m sure you’re intentions are good, but unfortunately your reply is as frustrating as it could possibly be. My question was simple but you side stepped it!!
Maybe I did not make my questions clear enough: Ispecifically DIDN’T imply a fingering regime 4321 321 21 421 etc as the main point at all. What I am asking is whether the best way is to TAKE THE HAND AWAY then replace it with replaced fingers on the next run, or to TUCK the next finger UNDER the thumb going up, or when descending CROSS THE THUMB over the top when going down the harp. It was to do with whether to ANCHOR the fingers or NOT to anchor them. I realise that different phrases require different techniques. I was referring to a typical plain scale run, and whether crossing thumb or fingers is generally used by good harpists or not. That question remains unanswered.
Thanks for all the advice and sympathy!. I think I’ll go with the brand new string set, play them in first then get a thorough regulation. I don’t mind the cost just as long as the harp starts performing better.
I don’t tune to the digital piano usually. I just did so once to double check the well-tempered tuning. Actually I find tuning by ear quicker and more effective than those horrid electronic tuners. I do have sensitive ears (and perfect pitch) so the slightest “off” note drives me nuts anyway, but changing keys on my harp would offend even the most tolerant aural perceptions!
But even more irritating are certain upper notes that “ring” with what sounds like a double pitch, usually very close to the fundamental. These are not natural harmonics but clearly a “duff” string. I think if I had my time over again, I would recommend to others NEVER to buy a harp unseen or unheard, unless they absolutely trust the supplier and even then proceed with caution. I’ve learned my lesson.
No need to be “tactful”. Morley harps are a bit cheaper than other suppliers, but one wouldn’t expect the action to be unregulated from new. I didn’t pick the harp up. It was delivered unseen and I trusted that it would be in fine shape.
I forgot to say in response to the tuning question: when pedalling an F sharp for instance, all the F sharps are out of tune overall and even relative to themselves, suggesting that each individual cam is wrongly adjusted and simply had never been properly set up at the factory.
It is infuriating having to stop and retune for every piece, or even extended passage. The only way I can use this harp at the moment is to play everything in one key with no accidentals. Using the pedals just throws things out so badly it is excruiciating to my sensitive ears!
Hi and thanks for two replies so far. It might well be that my instrument needs servicing, but then it hasn’t had that much use, except for practice now and again and it has never left my house or room where it is kept.
I think my point is that I’ve had it for around two years with hardly intensive use and it was relatively out of tune with pedalling right from the beginning. The “double” sounding notes have always been there from the start and I feel that this is an example of harp suppliers just importing boxes and then delivering them without checking, regulating or investigating. I wouldn’t be surprised if Morleys had simply not opened the imported crate at all prior to delivery, or perhaps for a just a cursory check.
This is a problem with many importers/suppliers of goods. They become complacent and lazy and simply act as a warehouse distributor rather than being the specialists they claim to be.
