Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
See and this works because the audience understands there is a severe need for her to do that as you point out. Also since she’s standing up, the feet thing doesn’t look as weird as when you are sitting with your feet sort of curling around the pedals.
I used to practice in bare feet as a student. It is nice but I like the leverage and protection a good shoe provides. Sometimes a pedal will flip up suddenly and you can really hurt your feet with that. Some harpists have broken toes while pedaling.
Also I agree with the other posts. Sometimes if the harpist is a jazzer and therefore out of the normal realm not wearing shoes can be acceptable to the audience but for classical harpists it’s kind of strange (too informal) and also moving pedals with barefeet has a weird tendency to make the feet look really dexterous and wide at the same time, sort of a monkey with huge feet so unless you want to look like that shoes might be a good decision. Take a look at a lot of musician pictures where it was fashionable not to wear shoes. Once in a while the people can pull it off and it looks cool but most of the time it just looks weird.
I broke my finger once and the dr. told me that after the little splint was off (4 weeks) I had to soak my finger in warm water every day for about 5 minutes over the next few months so that the tendons could get back to normal. Maybe that will help? I think at least that soaking your foot for 5 minutes wouldn’t hurt it.
The technique described here would work, it’s a Salzedo thing actually, but that’s not what is happening in the video because he is clearly not muffling some notes while playing the rest.
Also in the Seguidilla from Salzedo’s Suite of 8 Dances there is a similar technique where you do gushing chords (very fast glisses in the span of a chord) on specific notes first with the second finger and then with the third finger (going up) and using the thumb to go down. This is also in Chanson dans la Nuit. Again not in this video.
The technique used in the video, as far as I can tell, is actually just glissing rapidly (like the gushing chords) up with 2nd finger and down with the thumb, so you’re actually doing a turn-around gliss very, very fast.
Do you know what I mean? Do a short turn-around gliss going up with the second finger and then back down with the thumb, no space between the sound going up and the sound going down. Then just keep doing it faster until it sounds like strumming.
I just remembered something I saw once. I saw a harpist on a tour practicing in a house where she was staying with some people who were hosting them. So that she didn’t bother them she put a scarf (thin) through the harp strings. She said she doesn’t usually do that because she likes to really listen to her tone every time she plays and she can’t do that with the scarf (obviously) but that in a situation where it’s really important to practice without bothering people she does this because it muffles the strings. I think she had to practice at night while they were sleeping because she was doing so many events during that week in the daytime and early evening. It’s really important though that the scarf was really guazy and thin like one of those 1950’s sheer scarves. So it didn’t bend the strings at all but it really made the harp soft.
What a fascinating field. I thought the exact same thing as Carl. Not being rude. Just thinking what the heck is that word. I actually thought it was an encyclopedia or something.
Let us know what you end up doing because it sounds like a wonderful thing to do with the harp.
Wow. I’m so glad someone has had this experience. Everywhere I lived everyone loved the harp except one horrible woman. I lived in an apartment once where my neighbor had such a problem with the harp that if I was practicing she would start screaming on her balcony – I want peace on my balcony. I was practicing inside in the middle of the afternoon. She would peer in my windows and she would pound on the floor. When I say she pounded I mean at all hours of the night it sounded like people were moving in and out and dropping huge furniture. It was really ridiculous. I had to purchase thick curtains because she would come up and stare in the windows with her hands on her hips and ear plugs because she pounded all night long. I was so glad to move from that place. What a horrible person.
I think it’s because some people have control problems and they want to control everything so they feel like they need to control your “noise.”
That’s a fantastic idea, John. I’ll have to try it. Never had a problem with gnats but sometimes with really loud birds like peacocks.
If you give the box back to the company that brought the harp to your place they will let you use a box again if you ever need it to send it, etc. Much better to send in a trunk but sometimes that’s not possible so I always have my students leave their boxes with the transport co. and they keep them in case harpists need them.
Tacye is right that a lot of the pieces mentioned were written for versions of the pianoforte and not the piano we have today; the sounds are different and the volumes are different.
The Salzedo duo is great and available but you said not too modern and it is certainly a great piece in the modern style.
Might be best to try and get a recital at a school with a pianoforte.
Well Barbara and Karen, I appreciate your comments but unless the gig is going to pay me workers comp when I develop lung cancer, I am not willing to accept breathing in smoke as part of my job particularly when the place I live recognizes the right of people to not breathe second-hand smoke.
I appreciate the advice of people who are actually interested in helping find solutions instead of dealing with an unhealthy situation.
Thanks, these are great ideas. That’s really funny, Carl. I’ll try it. This guy came up the other night and started smoking with his back basically against my back and with the breeze from the lake it all blew over my head and hung there. I will definitely be taking all of your advice on the next gig.
