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I am also left handed, and learned the traditional way with my right hand playing the melodies and left hand playing the bass. The harp sits on my right shoulder so I have a clear line of sight to my bass notes.
I am curious how you started playing this way? Did you just pick up the harp and start playing it that way on your own because it felt most natural? What does your teacher say about it? I feel like most harp teachers would consider this a bad habit. Frankly I’m a bit surprised that they would let you continue on this way because it is so unusual. I suppose if you rest the harp on your left shoulder, in theory you’d have the same line of sight and could play opposite, but I’m not too sure what the implications of this are in the long term.
Thanks for your kind words! I am very pleased with my performance, and gave myself some grace for the mistakes I made due to cold fingers, and nerves… I think I did great overall, all things considered!
I loved the photo of you playing your harps that you posted in another thread- I will have to find some video clips.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas too!!
Well, the recital went very well! Unfortunately my hands were very cold from loading my Prelude in and out of our truck, so I wasn’t as dexterous as I normally am. My fingers felt very stiff and it caused me to stumble over some songs. But I was told by seasoned performers that it was a great recital, so I’ll take it!! Ha ha.
Yes I’ve seen photos, it does make me feel a little better for sure!! I’m confident it will work out just fine 🙂
Dancingpiper, this is a great question and I’m curious to hear some responses. I haven’t been playing all that long, but I do know that holding tension in the hands is a HUGE issue that can affect playing. Learning to open and close the pinkies with your playing is a big part of releasing tension. However, hand/finger movements, though it must support your playing, does not always look “exactly” one way. Some teachers will drill certain things into you in order to learn excellent technique (as they should), but I have seen that all harpists’ hands move in all kinds of different ways. My two cents is, as long as your technique is solid overall, and you are not holding your pinkies in because of tension, I don’t see that being a *huge* deal.
There is a facebook group for used harps that I know has a ton of traffic. Harps are sold all the time within that group. I believe most of the group is US based, but I have seen some international posts on there. It is called “Sell or buy pre owned harps”. Maybe you might find a bit of luck there.
I am sorry you have to re-home your harp. Surely, there will be another in your future!
How fun, I’m glad it went well! That’s great you were able to go to the church to practice beforehand, I can imagine that put you more at ease. How nice to be able to have that option! The church I am performing at (just in three days, eek!) I have never been to before, and will not have access to the building until about an hour before my recital. I am extremely nervous about that, but I am sure I will have some time to get my bearings before we begin. I have to get the Zoom room all set up as well so I am not sure how that will work either, most of my family lives out of state and will be attending virtually. Lots of things to figure out.. sigh…
Balfour, how did your performance go? I realize it was just a few days ago!
I completely understand what you mean with the live audience. It is wonderful to have that feedback. I have a love/hate relationship with it, as I have intense stage fright and I feel it would be less stressful for me to do virtual performances, but you do miss out on the audience’s reactions which is such a wonderful part of playing for people.
How wonderful! December 11 is right around the corner. I am so happy that you are able to perform the pieces that give you the most joy. I am sure that you have played those pieces many times, so you can probably sit back and just enjoy playing your instruments. My teacher is playing concerts virtually every weekend this month, and I imagine she is under a lot of pressure as you said. I really feel for her as well during this time. I haven’t seen her at all in weeks!
Best of luck to you in your performance, and have fun!!
Thank you, I will be sure to update when I’ve had my recital! Practice is coming along well and I should be able to confidently play my repertoire with minimal hiccups (as much as can be expected, anyway)
I hope you and Carol Lynn have a wonderful holiday season! Are you doing any holiday performances this year?
Hi Balfour! It isn’t for a couple weeks yet. I am feeling a bit unprepared because I haven’t been able to get a lesson in a few weeks as my teacher has been having performances all month, and I’ve been traveling abroad for the past week. Plus I contracted covid as well, so I haven’t been able to get much meaningful practice in. I am very much nervous about it and hope I will be able to perform well.
Oh good grief, it’s always something isn’t it! These people sound terribly disorganized. I would just do the best you can to ship it, and maybe even try to find a new box for it. But, if they do try to deduct anything from your refund you could argue their negligence in getting this resolved in a timely manner, and also that the harp is defective anyhow and that is why it’s being returned. The manufacturer openly admitted this so it isn’t as if they can resell it. However these are the risks you run in a situation like this and it may be worth it to just take whatever refund you can, so you can be done with all of this hassle.
Fiona, I am so pleased to hear your updates! The Ravenna is a great and reliable instrument and you will enjoy it for many years to come. I had the pleasure of trying one out a few weeks ago, and it has a beautiful sound! Good on you for returning the other harp, I am glad they were reasonable and acknowledged the clear defects in quality.
Have fun!!
Ah, I see, I didn’t read all the responses. If the water damage on the used one isn’t going to cause issues, then that seems a good choice, especially for a starter harp! I really hope that you are able to get it!!
Hi Fiona,
I’m sorry to hear about your experience with this new harp. What a bummer!! While I don’t have any knowledge about your particular harp, I can tell you that it will likely be just as expensive to change out the levers and strings, than to just save up and purchase the Dusty that you like. BUT, I would suggest against buying it new. There is a Facebook group you can join where folks all over are selling all kinds of used harps. Many of them are fantastic quality. I recently purchased my first harp used, and got it for $1500 less than a new one.
I don’t mean to sound too blunt, but you cannot purchase a 34-string harp for less than $1000USD and expect it to be of good quality. Unless, you get very very lucky finding a well-made harp secondhand. You get what you pay for. To some degree, you cannot troubleshoot your way out of shoddy workmanship. This harp is going to put you through so much grief. You should not have to fix a brand new instrument! I would highly recommend that you return your harp if you can, or sell it. Your money will be better spent if you save up a bit of money to purchase a secondhand Ravenna. You will not regret it!
