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I know this sounds slightly gross, but my harp teacher told me that if I ever get blisters, to pop it, then dip the blister in methylated spirits, and leave it to dry for a few minutes. This is supposed to harden the blister. Then, you get a nail file, and file back the hard skin to get a nicer tone.
I am lucky in that no matter how much I practice, my fingers don’t blister, so I’ve never actually tried this method myself. I use the nail file on the calluses that form, though, and that works well.My harp teacher told me to pop the blisters, quickly dip it in methylated spirits, then allow the methylated spirits to dry off. This causes the blister to go hard, so that it no longer hurts. She said to then file back the hardened blister so that the sound is softer. After a while, you just stop getting blisters, although you do get calluses that need to be filed back like the hard blisters. It’s kind of gross, but it helps.
Try http://www.free-scores.com/index_uk.php3 . It has lots of pieces, and it is really easy to navigate. You can also find some really good ensemble pieces in it, which I found came in handy for my music assesment last year. There are lost of really good amature composers who upload music to it, and a lot of the stuff is free.
Thanks. I ended up naming it Arach, although I did look at other names on the website too, but none of them worked as well.
The best known harp resource centre in Australia is the Harp Centre, which is based in Canberra. It stocks many different brands of harps, as well as accessories, music, and other things that you will need. Also, their website has lots of information on harps and what you can do. I would personally recommend going to them as a first port of call for the harp.
I have nothing against male harpists, however, I do not agree with the generalisation that the harp is in fact a male instrument and that “the greatest harpists were men”. It is wrong to classify the harp as a feminine instrument (although the word for harp in many languages that have masculine and feminine words in a feminine word), but it is also wrong to counter that with the idea that the harp is a manly instrument.
I’m a female harpist, but I like the idea of more male harpists being out there. I’ve noticed a trend in the pieces that the harp is in. Apart from classical music, the next largest genre that the harp seems to be in is R&B music, which is not the “girliest” genre.
