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I am younger and played individual items in teacher concerts and in ensemble but for a solo gig my teacher told me to pick a date and a time and commit to it. But playing things that were “easier” than the sort of pieces I was working on in lessons. It’s Christmas soon so perhaps make a commitment to playing at an old peoples home for a tea party. Then you can do some of the easy Sylvia Woods carols and whatever else you can get ready. They wont mind if you just repeat your repertoire a few times if its rather short but you have to start somewhere. Nothing like a deadline to focus the mind and practice sessions in my experience. If I dont have a deadline I take much longer to learn anything.
Of all the things that I have tried to record with in the house (phones, cameras, video cameras, ipad etc) the one that gives the best results is a Sony ICD (now superceded by some other model) digital voice recorder. It claimed to give CD quality recordings and it does.
Very sorry to hear about your husband Deb – I asked Mummy how much a liver transplant would cost here and she said nothing although there is a contribution towards the post op drugs that you have to pay here – capped each year and minimal if you are on a low income. Is it very expensive where you are? She said it is probably the US in which case it could be very expensive.
Love my Atlantide……… not just the sound although obviously that is the most important. It is very even across the whole range. It is so comfortable with a wide angle of balance and nice space at the top end. It holds it’s tune brilliantly and it is easy to move relatively speaking. It is so elegant. I got it several years ago and it was by far the most comfortable for me at an age and size when I had trouble getting my right arm round the salvis whilst reaching the pedals. I just played most of the Paris showroom and there were some lovely harps of all kinds there although I am not really ever a fan of the look of gold! Only one was mearly as nice as mine though. I have played a few other harps I liked pretty much equally to mine in sound – an Apollo, an Arianne, a L+H 30 and a Salzedo. Mine still feels best to me though for all the reasons listed.
My mum recently nearly sacked her new music teacher (male) who was continually checking his phone and texting during her lesson. I asked if he was young and she said about 40 so its not just school kids who cant leave their phones alone. In the end she put her bow down and told him that if he couldnt concentrate on her playing for 60 mins then clearly she would have to find a new teacher. Phone has not been in the room since. I practice with mobile phone ring tones going off before concerts and so far I have played through but do you think its better to stop and wait for them to turn off and restart from a good point or should you just carry on?
My mum often does my Atlantide alone which means about 6 stairs out of the house and then into the car. Often stairs at the other end too. She has no problem with car loading into a mazda 6 estate and slides it in on a slippery sleeping bag to lie on a padded mattress.
Did you see 6 year old Varvara Ivanova? She had more trouble getting the harp in the right position than she did playing the Handel. And that debussy duet by the Russian boy and girl. Do you think all the russian tinies had/have the same teacher?
The first time I played in a harp ensemble concert I was supposed to the the little cute one playing the opening solo. My levers were in the wrong place. The famous teacher laughed, told the audience she should have checkd that, explained about levers, flicked mine over and we started again. I have never had a more exposed hideous noise since so I guess its best to start really badly and improve from there.
I love my red high heels. I am on my second pair and have another pair in waiting in next size up but unforunately they had to be patent grey as they had run out of gorgeous red. My mother would never have let me wear heels when I was 10 without my harp teacher saying it was a good idea! They are not a thin as the ones on the you tube clip but I fancy a pair of those too!
Instruments sort of pick their players. If the harp is the one that speaks to her she probably will not be persuaded onto a flute or a violin. And the cost of many is very high at the higher levels for all instruments whereas a lot of amateur harpists play the same harps as professionals do and whilst that is costly at the start by amateur standards you get an instrument that has great potential! Mum says she is delighted my harp is not a horse and she had horses when she was young!
Hi, I am a suzuki student but as I had a non Suzuki background in piano I was not entirely typical. My teacher says that she usually mentions pedal harp when someone is past book 2 and if they seem very keen and committed. Some are interested, others not. There are plenty of pieces you can play on lever harp at all levels and as suzuki havent published book 4 yet and have various “suggestions” for book 5 its not like violin or oiano with their vast no. of books. She has had occasional students get to pedal in under two years and others take much longerand some never. Most of her students start quite young and therefore have a smaller 34 string lever harp. She also says Its not really a matter of how long you practice for but how efficiently you practice. She reckons it varies between about 20 mins for the littlies and much, much longer for her book 4 and 5 people like me.
I am 13 and have played for 5 years. I have goals for whatever I am working on which include technical aspects, note learning, quality of sound, finding different colours, shaping, performance preparation etc etc and an ever increasing list of pieces I want to learn next to pick from. I usually have orchestra parts to learn within a specific time frame and pieces to polish for performances. I guess short term week to week it is to satisfy my teachers that I have done what they asked to their satisfaction. Longer term it is to be as good as I can be and to be able to perform to a similar level to the one I play at at home.
I am 13 and have played for 5 years. I have goals for whatever I am working on which include technical aspects, note learning, quality of sound, finding different colours, shaping, performance preparation etc etc and an ever increasing list of pieces I want to learn next to pick from. I usually have orchestra parts to learn within a specific time frame and pieces to polish for performances. I guess short term week to week it is to satisfy my teachers that I have done what they asked to their satisfaction. Longer term it is to be as good as I can be and to be able to perform to a similar level to the one I play at at home.
