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Here comes my everybody reply!
Marco,
Yes please keep me posted!Deb,
I find music very spiritual too. Personally not as much when I play, since I’m still so focused on doing everything right, but listening.Jimmy,
Oh doesn’t it just drive you mad how people will do that? I always was attracted to men who looked different. Ultimate example, I couldn’t care less of George Clooney or Channing Tatum, I don’t even folow Celbrities as all teenage girls are expected. But I find Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory, or Ben Stiller, or just random people on the street to be handsome! My boyfriend has no idea how to react to this. He is the most handsome to me! ^_^ Male harpist who is a total cutie, Josh Layne!Sylvia,
I saw this picture here, it came up when I searched your name followed by “harp” on Google.Lyn,
I’m sure that’s not true, as you said, you must look serene! Just admit it, we are all a good lookin’ group. 😛This. Is. Awesome. I don’t even know how to describe this!
Oh my random youtube pick for today, @http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d8GKkJUfFY4 she’s amazing!!! Oh and this is obviously pedal harp, I had no ghuzeng music off the top of my head.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Sherri,
That’s wonderful! Wire harp sounds like something from another world, I feel like it could transport me to a time in ancient history or Narnia… *laughing*
I’ve met classical harpists who are very calm and peaceful despite the more difficult pieces, I think it’s a personality thing too. My current teacher told me when I confessed to an hour of practice a day, “Oh that’s fine! It’s a good place to start and you’re making progress.” So not everyone is as tight on practice hours.
But I stand by my original point that classical musicians tend to log more time into their instruments and thus are statistically more likely to get injuries.
I would be so curious about long-run studies on different techniques!
I myself am being trained classically for pedal harp (Salzedo technique I believe. But my teachers never place emphasis on ‘you must be this’, they just teach me how to play) and so I am a prancing fingertip fairy. 😛
My two bits on this would be…. Injuries tend to result from over practicing, or really, not taking regular breaks to stretch and breathe during practice. Classically trained musicians TEND to practice for hours and hours and hours. Example, quote from an old thread on here, “If you wish to major in harp you must practice a minimum of three hours a day.” Practice does make perfect but it can also lead to tendinitis if you don’t stand up and get a glass of water from time to time… I’ve noticed personally that most folk (or wire or Pan American or so many others I’ve never met) harpists TEND to be far more lax and less competitive about their music. It is a much calmer atmosphere from what I understand.
NEITHER INSTRUMENT NOR INSTRUMENTALIST IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER. Each is unique and different and beautiful!
So my guess is that more classically trained harpists receive injuries statistically because of practice hours. It is a guess, I do no KNOW, and I am not saying everyone should burn their Salzedo method books. *laughing*
I do recommend a very good book, “You are Your Instrument” by Julie Lyonn Lieberman. She herself is a violinist but she wrote the book for all instrumentalists and even vocalists. It is a bit new-agey in some parts, with a few weird exercises like, ” Write a diary entry of how you felt about your practice session. Convert it into a relationship with a real person.” The diary entry example that accompanied this actually made me laugh! But the advice and holistic medical advice in this book is invaluable. They had it at my local library but I ended up buying it myself.
Interesting thread Marco!
— Natalie
Dear Marco,
I agree, I think harpists don’t wake up one day saying, “I need to learn an instrument as beautiful as my face. *sees picture of a harp* Bingo.”
I love how different everyone is, all different beauties! Such cultural diversity and unique personalities.
I love the coffee break section, everyone on here stays so positive so the topics usually bring a smile.
God bless you!
— Natalie
P.S. I looked at your album online and I loved it! I love the harp as the bass and the melody. Your technique would be so cool to watch.
Dear Sylvia,
Oh thank you for a laugh! I love how punctuated your answers are, you have such a unique way of typing. *big smile*
And besides, I have seen pictures of you. Look how graceful your hands are!
God bless you!
— Natalie
Dear Iris,
Oh thank you for the compliment! My dad is a professional photographer so he knows how to take a good picture. 🙂
I have been playing the harp since I was 11, I’m now 19, so 8 years. I only began practicing diligently about a year ago, so as a friend once told me, “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.”
How have you been enjoying your new harp? Do you know what model or maker it is from? It’s so fun when you start out!
God bless you!
— Natalie
Praise God that your husband is alive and well! I can tell from the way you speak of him how much you love one another, how blessed you are to be safe and to continue your lives together. Thank you for such an encouraging story!
I didn’t sign up to be an organ donor when I first got my license at age 17, I had never given it deep thought. I’ll look into changing it now, thank the Lord for those who have!
As you said, harping can wait while family and friends and others are in need. 🙂
And as a little side note, thank you again. I think this was yet another sign that I should start playing my harp in hospitals, if they will allow me of course. I want to give back as so many people have given to me!
God bless you and your wonderful family!
— Natalie
Thank you Tracy for starting this thread, I’m about to start going to college to major in harp (performance or music therapy or what I don’t even know yet!) and have many of the same questions. I’m still in the “researching and preparing phase”, I have no experience to speak of yet! Sorry I couldn’t help, but it is really exciting to think about. God bless you!
— Natalie
Oh goodness, I’m impressed that you can memorize so well! I sight read, and it makes me VERY dependent on my sheet music. One little breeze… *laughing* But the up sides, as Elizabeth said, is being able to play instantly (or with very little practice) brand new pieces.
I need to work on memorizing the wedding standards like Canon in D and Here Comes the Bride so no wind messes me up!
You are a true musician because you create music. End of story! Your talent is completely unique, and playing from memory is a part of it. You can develop your sight reading if you want to, it is a good skill to have, but don’t feel inferior because you don’t have it.
Some musicians are completely dependent and seriously sight read everything, from the tempo to dynamics to fingerings…. Others (like me) have to play the pieces and become familiar with them, but sight read most of it. Some use it as a reminder for if they have a gap in their memory. Everyone is different!
I hope this helps, God bless you!
—Natalie
Dear Louis,
Well I think us harpists tend to be pretty serious! But you did mention wanting to play for your enjoyment. If that is the case, then there is far less pressure. I agree that for hard core Debussey and other classical music is usually impractical if not impossible to play on a lever harp. But there are SO many beautiful classical pieces that sound perfect on lever. Lyon and Healy’s Medievil to Modern volumes I and II I’m working on right now. These are pieces chosen for lever!
I’m a lover of both pedal and lever harp, one is not better than the other.
But you also mentioned preferring pedal to lever. I suggest listening. Don’t even open your eyes! Go on youtube and look up harp music. Click on random videos and listen, at the end work out what kind of harp model. Okay you will have to look a little bit to click on the video but you get my point….
Here’s the upside to pedal. Gorgeous pedal sound (lever harps even tightly strung do sound different, which I really like but I completely understand if others don’t) , ready to move to the next level in music once you are, any repertoire you want. There are others but trying to focus on a few here since this can all by overwhelming! The downsides… Very heavy. Even if you get a petite, they’re mostly around 60 pounds. They are huge, so fitting into a hospital room could be potentially dangerous.
But here’s the thing, since you are doing this for you, only you will know just what you want! I love harp column because it gives me the advice of harpists more experienced than I. But no matter how many opinions you hear, if you love pedal, nothing will quite ‘get you’ like a pedal harp! Do NOT EVER EVER EVER settle for an instrument you don’t care about, or know you will outgrow. When I outgrew my little baby lap harp, my family saved up for years, funraiser at the church, my dad sold his Harley, just so I could get a petite pedal harp USED. But guess what? I love it. I love love love my harp! And this summer I saved up all on my own and got a carbon fiber harp for beach weddings. I love it. I love love love that harp too! So listen to your gut (and definitely go for gut strings 😛 )
The harp is amazing, I hope you find yours soon! God bless you!
— Natalie
I teared up too. Music is a connection between people and places everywhere. It’s spiritual, it’s beautiful!
Tony said it all! I think that sounds like a perfect plan.
Sylvia Woods has Teach yourself to play the folk harp, which is a very nice book. You can also purchase a DVD with it to see the techniques played out.
Monthly lessons would help keep you on track, and I know that Skype lessons are beginning to become more common. I know Josh Layne does, but I have no idea what his rates are. @http://joshlayne.com
If you are doing this because you love music, and you love the harp, then learning on your own will be fun and fulfilling! I wish you all the best, God bless you!
— Natalie
