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Well, yes, you develop certain skills with scales, others with arpeggios, and still more with other patterns. All are essential. However many scales you have practiced, when you hit the scales in Symphonie Fantastique or the Solo and Cadenza from Lucia di Lammermoor, they are suddenly incredibly hard.
I do agree that scales alone are insufficient. One has to practice wider intervals as well. My exercises utilize every possible pattern of note combinations and finger sequences, and every possible interval, up to sixths. Certainly, a harpist who has only ever played scales and arpeggios will not have enough stretch or reach in his hand. Doing wider intervals does stretch and broaden the hand. One of my favorites is to play c-f-b-e, d-g-c-f, etc.
Ten-to-fifteen minutes of scales every day is plenty if you do the same amount of other exercises as well. With Salzedo’s Conditioning Exercises (I was once told that no other instruments has such a complete, simple set of exercises), after doing the 3421 and 2431 exercises, I also do 1423, 4231, 3124, 2134, etc.
Another way to do scales is broken: 4231, 4231 or cedfgbac etc.
Thank you, I knew you could find something. The difficulty is that Warner-Chappell is now an enormous conglomerate interested in their popular music, and it is extremely difficult to request anything classical from their website. I did contact European-American, and they say they do not have it. I think at least one or two of the pieces you listed are not readily available, either.
Sorry to have troubled you, but I do not have easy access to either of those libraries.
Speaking for myself, not Salzedo or Swanson, I have found scales to always be pretty important. In fact, I generally always include scales and some sort of arpeggio or chord-based exercise in my warm-ups. Scales are certainly not as big of a deal on the harp because we use the same fingerings in every key, unlike the other instruments, who have to practice every kind of scale. What is different is the string tension, so we should practice in different keys on different days, like c-sharp and c-natural. We should also practice them with different fingerings, like 321321 and 432121 etc. So, actually there are a lot of scale exercises possible. We also need to practice them in canon if we want to play Flight someday. I practice them in four tempi a day, usually doubling the speed so first it is one note to the beat, which between 60 and 80, then two notes, then four notes, then 8 notes, so, yes, I am effectively playing scales at 160. It took quite a while to get there, of course.
That’s what I’m having for lunch today. I love tzatziki.
If you have grapevines, pluck the tender young leaves and cook them for about two hours with tomatoes and you will have a wonderful sauce.
There is a Lyra edition as well. Zabaleta did a pretty nice recording of it. As it is public domain by now, I’m pretty sure, in any case, you may be able to find the parts in a music library. It is definitely German romanticism. Reinecke is a good composer.
I have never seen the Peer edition. Where did you purchase it from?
I believe that there are many errors in this publication, in the Meridian edition at least. Some were corrected in an article in the American Harp Journal a long time ago. Others were not, but look wrong.
You are right, that is a G# in that measure. What gets me is three measures earlier when that pattern is first introduced, and there is a note left over in the left hand at the end. I swear, any sensible composer would mean that to be the first statement of that pattern, followed later by two more. But the hands don’t match up in the same way, their high and low notes happening in different places. It is also very irritating how they did not use any leger lines in the left hand, instead, putting left-hand notes on the right-hand staff.
In the second movement, Tailleferre is inconsistent with the left-hand pattern. Playing every note as written is very awkward, and sounds unclear. But then, toward the bottom of the second page she fixes it, with a 4 123 123 123 pattern, so, I use that pattern throughout the movement, so the bass note can sustain, and on the third page, I take out some of the left-hand notes that are played at nearly the same time by the right hand. It leads me to think that
I would suspect that they are not practicing, if they can identify notes, but not read them in harp music. It is a delaying tactic. If you use the ABC of Harp Playing, it teaches basic reading skills, and if the students are not having genuine difficulty, it will show. The basic approach of having them play the note, name it, and point to it on the page at the same time should burn them into consciousness. Repetition is the other part. Perhaps you can have a class apart from lessons just to work on reading skills.
I would suspect that they are not practicing, if they can identify notes, but not read them in harp music. It is a delaying tactic. If you use the ABC of Harp Playing, it teaches basic reading skills, and if the students are not having genuine difficulty, it will show. The basic approach of having them play the note, name it, and point to it on the page at the same time should burn them into consciousness. Repetition is the other part. Perhaps you can have a class apart from lessons just to work on reading skills.
While it was heavy, the best cart ever was made by Cindy Schultz’s father in Edina, Minnesota. They have trays the harp sits on that fold up, and a friction skid on the back rails so it can slide down steps easily, and big rubber tires.
I think the ideal cart would have those features, be lightweight, well-balanced, automatically center the harp, hold it tightly, and be possible to leave it on while in a vehicle.
I think it should be a triangle, the long side along the column, two sides embracing the neck, and two sides embracing the body. Big rubber wheels at the bottom and a friction belt skid on the back. No handles, so you hold the harp, perhaps. The base should elevate, perhaps with a foot-lever, in case of snow or
I think it is important to maintain high standards for our field and for ourselves. The overall quality of harp playing suffers easily when players who are not sufficiently trained call themselves professionals or teachers. What is sufficient is in some ways an individual decision. I have taught on and off for twenty-nine years. In the last five years, I think that I really know what I am doing, and at the same time realize how much more I need to learn.
A harp teacher should have solid, if not fine, technique, good musicality, and at least a general knowledge of music theory, history, and the harp literature. A teacher must know how to demonstrate and teach proper playing in an effective manner. A teacher should have an extensive knowledge of harp literature and an extensive music collection.
I think one should study to at least the master’s level unless extremely accomplished at the undergraduate level, and with a major teacher for more than four years. There is no set time span for harp study, I think one should study until done, not by degrees.
I think it is important to maintain high standards for our field and for ourselves. The overall quality of harp playing suffers easily when players who are not sufficiently trained call themselves professionals or teachers. What is sufficient is in some ways an individual decision. I have taught on and off for twenty-nine years. In the last five years, I think that I really know what I am doing, and at the same time realize how much more I need to learn.
A harp teacher should have solid, if not fine, technique, good musicality, and at least a general knowledge of music theory, history, and the harp literature. A teacher must know how to demonstrate and teach proper playing in an effective manner. A teacher should have an extensive knowledge of harp literature and an extensive music collection.
I think one should study to at least the master’s level unless extremely accomplished at the undergraduate level, and with a major teacher for more than four years. There is no set time span for harp study, I think one should study until done, not by degrees.
The woman may be tone-deaf, or pathologically unable to enjoy music. What she said about not understanding is a clue. She may not understand it herself, and that is a way of asking.
Anyhow, as my dearly beloved ballet teacher used to say, with all dignity, “it’s all chickenshit!”
