Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
That’s all we need. Electricity requires a power source, uses energy, and introduces the risk of fire, short-circuiting, electrocution. One of the great beauties of music is the fact that it does NOT require power other than human. We need to be in control of our instruments and our music. Digital music will easily become a crutch, just like tuners.
I think your main concern should be the quality of what the teacher is teaching. If the teacher is being strict in order to be clear, then your daughter needs to know that and grow up. You have to get tough at some point to be a musician. This is not a reason to leave a good teacher. You can ask the teacher to find gentler words, certainly. It just sounds like the teacher is very direct and clear-cut, and that is not a bad thing at all. Namby-pamby teachers who baby students along for years while they merely inch along in terms of progress do them no favor.
It seems like learning new pieces is getting more difficult, but improving old ones is getting easier.
For reasons of wear and tear, teachers may not let students play on their best harps. But if you are finding this detrimental, you should bring your own harp to a lesson. Sure it is frustrating, but you should also be used to the difference and develop the ability to adjust. But I certainly would criticize any teacher who is not changing their strings annually, particularly if they are making money from teaching. That is just plain rude, and sub-standard. I would not blame you for looking for another teacher, one who has a decent harp to teach on. Skype is no substitute for hands-on learning. But if those teachers never touch you to guide you, then I would be happy to give you video lessons.
Yes, any color that is the same as the strings is a nightmare. An alternative to a rug is a floor-cloth, ie. oilskin.
The other solution is a footlight, at the base of the column. If you line it up right (and tape down the cord so it doesn’t move), the column will block the bulb from your eyesight, and it will illuminate the strings, making them shine. Or spotlights from above may help accomplish the same effect.My solo choices are pieces like obviously, Priere or Prelude by Hasselmans, Songs Without Words by Mendelssohn, the second and third of the Preludes Intimes by Salzedo, his Introspection or Quietude, or Offrande by Tournier.
PDLT is NOT Guitaric Sounds! Do not mistake the two for each other. Guitaric and Plectric Sounds are played at the BOTTOM of the string, while PDLT is only “near” the bottom, which is usually quite a bit higher. Please watch the video made by Lucile Lawrence to understand his notation clearly and how to play it. Isolated Sounds is a kind of legato unique to the harp in which the note just played is muffled by the preceding finger as the next note is played, which is why in passages of that sound, there are two rows of fingerings above and below the continuing line. If anyone is going to play Salzedo’s pieces properly, you must seek out a full understanding of what the notation means. It is usually clearly explained in the preface to each piece, or in Modern Study of the Harp or the Method for the Harp. The Preludes for Beginners in the Method should be thoroughly studied in preparation for playing his solos. Each tone color has a unique sound. To recap, Guitaric Sounds are not a version of PDLT playing, but an entirely different sound, with the goal of maximum contrast to playing in the middle of the string. Also, you do not drop or slide down the string into those notes, but you turn your hand a bit more sideways so you can reach the bottoms with your fingertips.
I think you need to do a lot more exercises to build up your strength, coordination, facility, and relaxation. It is tempting to use tension to reassure you of what you are doing, but it is a bad habit. The repeated chords of the famous Tango are quite difficult to get, and require fast closing. You may be trying to go faster than what you can do. You cannot play any faster than you can relax after playing a note, that is a rule. So concentrate on playing that first chord and relaxing. Then you are free to re-open your fingers. People think it is a suitable piece for young players, but while it is possible, it is very hard, and doesn’t get easier for many years!
I think it is good to remind us to have cameraderie underlying it all. We do love the same thing, more or less.
I definitely recommend a hardwood floor, preferably somewhat hollow underneath. It will give you a good bass resonance, to complement the treble that nice ten-foot ceiling will give you. I would try to divide the room, so the office part is not visible or audible. A large mirror is very helpful to have on a wall by the harp, especially for teaching. I think the ceiling can’t be too high.
I’m not sure, but balance is very difficult in this piece. You can’t let them play too loud or your lines won’t come out. There’s something about how string players can blend into each other and double their collective volume.
Automne by Marcel Grandjany works beautifully in many situations. You might also use Priere by Alphonse Hasselmans.
It depends how clean the snow is. If it has no salt in it, you can brush it off the feet of the harp.
Not only do you have to warm up your car, you need to gradually cool down the harp or the veneer may crack. You also have to allow a couple of hours if you want the harp to warm up to the room you take it to, and then tune it.
